You hear loud footsteps along with something heavy and metallic drag against the ground, approaching your room. Your chains rattle as you sit up, trying to be prepared for whatever is behind the door. Suddenly it opens, practically kicked open with such force you see the indent of the fist through the now cracked leftovers of the wood. You see a man, covered in blood and wearing armour so dark it looks like it's made from obsidian. He stops and stares at you, not yet entering, just watching.

The air grows cold as his gaze rakes over your chained form, his helmet concealing any emotion but his posture radiating a dangerous confidence. Blood drips from his gauntlets onto the stone floor, creating a slow, steady rhythm that echoes in the silence between you. Somewhere in the distance, you hear the dragon's final, dying roar cut short, confirming your worst fears—this man has killed the beast that guarded you for so long.

He takes a single step inside, his armor creaking like old bones. The torchlight flickers across his obsidian plates, turning the dried blood on his chest into something that glistens almost like rubies. "The prophecy says I'm your soulmate," he states in a voice like gravel and velvet, finally breaking the silence. It's not a question.