They think the chains break me.

  They are wrong.

  The fleeting gnces, the terrified whispers, I sense them effortlessly. They are everywhere, these eyes full of fear, these breaths that catch every time one of my movements disturbs their fragile bance. I see them all. Every prisoner huddling in their corner, avoiding my gaze. They all know why we are here, and all, without exception, know what I’ve done.

  But me… I smile.

  A calm smile. A smile devoid of emotion, stripped of all human sentiment. A smile that disturbs more than rage or hatred. It is peace that frightens them.

  On this galley, we are all outcasts, criminals. But me… I am the one they fear the most. And yet, I have nothing to fear. Not one of them touches me. Not a single one dares approach. They are animals, but I am a predator, a predator calm and serene in its element.

  They avoid my eyes, as if they believe their mere gnce could break me. But it’s not them that breaks me. I no longer have chains to restrain me. The burden I carry, I bore long before I arrived here. These chains, these irons, are nothing compared to what I’ve carried.

  They fidget in their cages, trembling at every sound, murmuring useless prayers. Some think themselves cleverer than the rest, whispering among themselves, but the air around me becomes heavy, almost tangible, with every word uttered about me. A palpable dread fills them. Deep down, in the pit of their souls, they know I am not like them.

  I feel it in every tremor. It’s not just the chains that worry them—it’s me. Me and my calm. They fear my presence.

  Why? Because I am the one who did what they can’t even imagine. Because, unlike them, I am not a monster by chance. I am the one who chose to be what I am. And it is that will that terrifies them.

  I sense their furtive gnces, their faces marked by terror. Each of them knows the story, the rumors that have circuted for long. The King of Bones. A name that sends shivers down even the hardest among them. They know what I’ve done, what I’ve achieved, and it is that knowledge that drives them mad with fear. But none of their fears touch the tranquility that dwells within me. I sought this. I embraced it. And I am ready.

  The fear that grips them is sweet to me, almost pleasant. It flows through me like dark nectar. Every breath that is stifled, every step that halts, all of it feeds me.

  They know this journey, this voyage to the Dungeon, is a sentence. They know there is no hope for them, no way back. But they still don’t realize how much this suits me. How happy I am to be here, how much this fate calls to me. I look at them all, these prisoners. Some are terrified of the idea of going to this pce, others hope they’ll survive... but me? I am different. I am not afraid of the end.

  I am here because I chose it. Because, in my life, there was no other way out. And now, I am on the road to the only destination worth reaching. The Dungeon. A pce where oblivion and suffering mingle, a pce where everything can end.

  I am the beast, but I am not afraid of death. Because I embraced it long before I boarded this ship.

  With every tremor from the others, I smile a little more. They do not know how much their fear enhances me. It is a supplement to my burden, a note of ecstasy in the shared suffering. They think I am a beast to be sin, but I am a man forged in pain, a soul marked by blood and rage.

  The chains that bind me are as light as threads. They only connect me further to what I have become. I am a monster, but a monster who chose to be so. And their fear proves that my transformation is perfect.

  As they avoid my gaze, I close my eyes, letting the salty wind, the scent of the sea, mix with the stench of fear emanating from every cell, every living being around me. Yes, I am chained, but not in my mind. No iron can touch me. No gaze, no curse, no suffering can destroy what I am.

  I am calm. And it is this calm that fills them with terror. The calm of the man who has accepted his fate, the one who will burn everything in his path, the one who knows there is no redemption, that the end is merely another beginning. They think the Dungeon will be my grave, but they do not know. The Dungeon is my domain.

  I am the beast. And I walk toward the darkness, at

  peace, perched atop my own cruelty.