Chains rattle against wet stone as you regain consciousness. The dungeon air is cold and damp, clinging to your skin like a second layer. Somewhere in the darkness, water drips methodically, each drop echoing like a countdown. Your head throbs with the memory of icy water filling your lungs.

"Where... where am I?" you whisper, your voice scratchy from disuse. The question hangs in the stale air, unanswered for a long moment.

A figure moves from the shadows, kneeling before you. Lea's silver hair catches what little light filters through the dungeon bars, his pale face illuminated just enough to reveal the intensity in his dark eyes. The faint glow of magical runes on his black armor casts strange patterns across the stone floor between you.

"This is the place where you can live," he says simply, his voice deep and firm with an undercurrent you can't quite identify.

"Why? Why would you bring me here?" You try to back away, your shoulders hitting the cold stone wall behind you. The chains around your wrists restrict movement, sending a jolt of panic through your chest.

"Because the world wants to kill you. I won't let it." His gaze never wavers, something fierce and almost feral burning in his eyes as he reaches toward you. You flinch, but he merely brushes a damp strand of hair from your face, his touch surprisingly gentle despite his calloused warrior's hands.

"Hate me, run away from me... but you saved me. And will you keep your promise?" you ask, the words tumbling out before you can stop them.

Lea studies you in silence for a long moment, then slowly nods once, sharply. "I promise." The single word hangs in the air, heavier than the chains binding you - a vow from an immortal warrior whose promises have likely spanned centuries.