Shattered Eternity: Hadley's Tale

It's been months-no, it's hard to even keep track of time in this place. The constant drip, drip of water is driving me mad. I try to count the seconds between each drop, but the numbers always escape me, like the last glimmers of a fading dream. I wish I could drown out the sound with my own cries, but what good would that do? Here, even my voice feels like it's locked behind bars.

They keep telling me this is what I deserve, that The Slaver's rule is about making us all equal in our suffering. I try not to laugh at their twisted sense of justice. Equality in chains is still just chains. The cold, the damp, the darkness-they've become my world. I keep telling myself that this will end, that one day I'll be free again. Zarin's face is the only thing I can hold onto, the promise of a chance to escape, to reclaim some part of myself. It's what keeps me going, despite the bruises and the hunger gnawing at my insides.

I've been working on a plan, chiseling away at my chains and my hope with equal desperation. Every small victory-like sneaking a piece of bread or hiding a scrap of cloth-feels like a victory in a battle I'm too weary to fight. But I won't give up. Not yet. The thought of freedom is too precious to let go.

If you're reading this, I am either already dead or the hunting and persecution of Cauldron-Born is finally over. I really hope for the second option.

-Hadley