ARIA POINT OF VIEW

The dungeon door did not burst open this time as it announced itself.

The slow, deliberate groan of iron scraping against stone carried through the cell long before the light reached me, as if whoever stood beyond it wanted me to feel their presence before I even saw them. When the door finally gave way, brightness flooded the darkness in a harsh, unforgiving wave, forcing my eyes to narrow against it.

I did not move immediately.

The cold floor had long since stolen warmth ...