The darkness of Level 4: Pit Null pressed down on Dravon Solmere like a living thing. Black stone chains bit into his wrists and ankles, blood dripping from cuts on his forehead. The faint sound of water echoing in the abyssal cell made the silence almost unbearable.
A figure emerged from the shadows — tall, regal, and radiating an aura of absolute authority.
Saint Axiom Valenor.
Even in the dim light, his white beard caught faint glimmers from the torchless corridor. His eyes, sharp and piercing, studied Dravon.
"How much longer do you intend to resist us, my son?" Axiom's voice carried the weight of storms — calm, but unstoppable.
Dravon exhaled sharply, his chest heaving, eyes fixed on the floor. No words.
Axiom stepped closer, the shadows retreating as if respecting his presence. "Come back… and I will forget what has passed between us. Refuse, and your death will be a slow, miserable one."
Dravon lifted his head slowly. Blood streaked his face, but in his eyes was a glimmer of recognition, a flicker of relief.
"Father… I'm… happy to be back in the family." His voice was hoarse, layered with years of longing, battles, and solitude at sea.
Axiom's lips curved into a rare, proud smile. He shook his head, and the authority in his voice rang through the cavernous cell: "Good. Free him."
Guards scrambled, breaking the black stone chains that had held Dravon for so long.
The weight lifted from his body physically, but emotionally, it felt as though a ton of years had also been released. Dravon stumbled forward, and Axiom enveloped him in a strong, comforting embrace — the warmth of family, long absent, finally returned.
"I'm proud of you," Axiom murmured, voice steady, yet heavy with emotion.
Dravon leaned into the hug, letting himself feel the homecoming he hadn't realized he'd missed for so long. His scars, the blood, the exhaustion of the Devil War — it all felt distant, momentarily erased by the presence of his father.
Released from the cuffs, Dravon stood taller, the burden of chains lifted. At his side, Saint Axiom Valenor guided him out of the abyss, a father reclaiming his son from the darkness of the seas.