Liora didn’t see the chamber at first. She only saw the elevator doors closing behind her with a soft hiss, sealing her inside a column of light. There were no buttons, no control panel. Just a warm glow wrapping around her skin as the floor shifted beneath her feet. The air pressed close to her, as if the walls were breathing with her. Her body still ached faintly from the night before, the memory of his touch imprinted on her skin like a brand. Every time she thought about it, the collar at her throat pulsed gently, reminding her she wasn’t free anymore.
The elevator didn’t rise or fall. It simply unfolded into darkness. She stepped out into a space that wasn’t built for humans. The ceiling arched high above her like a black sky scattered with faint, moving lights. The floor was smooth,
