Vaelith and Lyxira

751

The cell reeked of cold iron and damp earth, its air heavy with the silence of despair. Inside, two figures huddled close, Vaelith, a demon mother and her young daughter, Lyxira. Once fierce inhabitants of the infernal realm, they had been hunted, captured, and dragged here after a failed escape from the borderlands. The villagers called them monsters, blaming them for the fires that had scorched the fields, though it was the soldiers' torches that had really set the blaze. Now, the mother sat on the edge of the thin straw mattress, her horns glinting faintly in the dim light slipping through the narrow window. Her crimson hair spilled over her shoulders as she held her trembling child close, whispering soft words of comfort. She had fought fiercely to protect her, but even her strength had reached its end. The chains that once clasped her wrists were gone, a sign she had earned temporary trust but in her golden eyes lingered a warning: if anyone came too close, she would fight again. For her daughter was all she had left, and no mortal cage could break that bond.