You are the key

Avaris' POV

My eyes were heavy, my body was weak, and I woke up with fatigue bearing down on me.

I felt as though I had been thrown into a pit, battered, and bruised in every inch.

A hoarse breath escaped my lips, and a jolt of pain shot through my chest, making me wince.

There was a sense of staleness and confinement in the air around me. I tried to move, but something clinked around my wrists and ankles. My eyes widened as they landed on the chains wrapped around my wrists and ankles.

I blinked, struggling to focus. The room's darkness closed in on me. No windows. No light. Only the metallic smell that pricked my nostrils and the heavy clink of metal.

A prison. I was in a prison. It was like a kick to the gut when I realized it. How the hell did I end up here?

I tried to push through the fog in my mind, recalling the last moments before everything turned black. I had been... captured. The pain, the suddenness of it, the overwhelming sense of being overpowered.

Lord Callum.

Something deep within me was stirred by the name's echoes, which rang in my head like a bell.

That man.

He had appeared out of nowhere, with too much knowledge, too many answers. He had all the right words, everything I needed to hear, and yet... there had been something off about him.

Something wrong. He was the last person I should have trusted.

The suspicion gnawed at me. He had to be behind my family’s death.

How else could he have known so much? How else could he have orchestrated everything with such precision?

It all pointed back to him, every piece falling into place like a twisted puzzle I was too late to solve.

My hands trembled as I tried to move, to stand, to do anything, but the chains held me fast, the metal biting into my skin. I gritted my teeth and pulled at the restraints, but it was no use. My body felt weak, far too weak to fight, to even think clearly.

“Help...” I let out the word in a choked cry that sounded so pitiful that I nearly forgot it was my own. I couldn’t even hear my own voice properly, so rough it was, as though it hadn’t been used in days.

But there was no response. Nothing but the cold walls.

I called again, desperation curling around my words, but still, no one answered. I felt like I was being mocked as my voice echoed off this empty space..

Minutes passed, at least, I think it was minutes. In this dark cage, time was a blur. I had no idea how long I had been here, no way to gauge it. My head spun, my throat dry and burning, and then, finally, the door creaked open.

A shadow crossed the threshold, a figure stepping into the dim light.

Lord Callum.

He walked toward me slowly, his smile wide, almost amused. I will always remember that smile, which was filled with hate and revealed a great deal about the man he was.

Almost too calmly, he said, "You’re awake, Avaris," in a smooth voice. "Ah, that was a long sleep."

I couldn’t find the strength to stand, but I glared at him, my heart pounding. "What do you want with me?!" I snarled, trying to push past the weakness, trying to show some kind of resistance. But it was all a facade. I could barely keep my eyes open.

He had a constant smile. His eyes were glimmering with something, almost like amusement, as he stepped closer. "What do I want, you ask?" He laughed ominously, the sound echoing through the tiny room. "Well, my dear Avaris, it’s not what I want that matters. It’s what you are."

My forehead furrowed, anger and bewilderment blending together. "What are you talking about?"

He stepped closer still. "You see," he said, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "Lucifer’s slumber is the key to everything. The Almighty’s betrayal. His damnation. And you—" He pointed at me, his finger like an accusation "You, Avaris, are the key to awakening him."

I shook my head, fighting through the haze. "What... what nonsense are you spewing?!"

Lord Callum’s grin widened, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling light. "Nonsense, is it?" He let out a breath, almost like a sigh. "No, Avaris, it’s the truth. You’ve heard the stories, haven’t you? About the Angel of Kindness? The one who fell, who was murdered by Lucifer himself? It’s a tale not so older than any of us."

I sensed the air around us being twisted by his words as they took hold. I made an effort to ignore the sinking sensation in my stomach and shake it off. "What does that have to do with me?"

He ignored my question, stepping closer still. "Lucifer, once the most beloved of the Almighty’s angels, was betrayed by God. Cast out. But there was another, an angel of kindness. He came to take Lucifer’s place in the Almighty’s favor, an angel who embodied everything the Almighty adored—compassion, generosity, kindness." His voice dropped lower as if savoring the words. "It wasn’t long before Lucifer’s jealousy turned into rage, and he murdered the angel."

I tried to process his words, but they were too much, too much for my tired mind. "Why are you telling me this?" I managed to ask, my voice cracking.

Lord Callum’s gaze turned serious, his eyes glinting with an edge I hadn’t seen before. "Because the angel, Avaris, is dead, but he wasn’t gone. His essence, his soul, lives on. And now, you—" He pointed at me again, his finger stabbing the air. "You are the reincarnation of the Angel of Kindness. The only one who can awaken Lucifer from his slumber."

I froze, the blood draining from my face. I was utterly confused or angry at the nonsense this man was spewing. "What...?"

He smiled more broadly. "Yes. You are the key, Avaris. The only key that can bring Lucifer back. And when he awakens... the world will burn."