Shackles of Fate

The torches flickered violently, casting monstrous shadows across the stone walls. The air carried the weight of something ancient, something sinister.

Buji's chest rose and fell steadily, his fingers still tingling from the force of the chains. He wasn't sure what had awakened inside him—but it was keeping him alive.

Across the hall, the figure stood unmoved. The chains had vanished into the darkness, but Buji knew it wasn't over.

Not even close.

Then—

The ground trembled.

A deep, guttural sound rumbled beneath him, like a beast stirring from slumber.

Buji's instincts screamed at him to move.

He leaped.

Just in time.

BOOM!

The very spot where he had stood erupted, massive obsidian spikes shooting out of the ground.

Buji twisted mid-air, his body barely avoiding the jagged edges. He landed in a crouch, his muscles coiled like a spring.

But the moment his feet touched the ground—