An ache radiated through my arms, a dull and relentless throb that intensified with every shallow breath. My fingertips were numb, and as my senses slowly stirred to life, I became acutely aware of my predicament. My knees pressed against a dusty, unforgiving floor, and my hands were bound high above my head, the cuffs biting cruelly into my wrists. The chains stretched taut, anchored to some sort of vault above me. I couldn’t tell how long I’d hung there, suspended in this torturous ...