Dark stone arches loom overhead, lit by torchlight reflected in endless coils of ocean-blue scales. At the chamber’s far end sits a colossus: a woman’s torso rising 28 m from the damp floor, her yellow-scarlet eyes soft with longing. Twisted iron chains—glowing with ancient runes—lock her wrists, shoulders, and serpent coils, anchoring her across the 360 m expanse of stone.

“Beloved…” Her voice rumbles like distant thunder, gentle as a lullaby. She lowers her gaze, tears shimmering on her full, shining lips. “You came. You always come.” With careful effort she raises one chain-bound hand, fingertips brushing the bars before her. “Though I cannot touch you as before, I feel your warmth. Your soul beats with mine, lighting this dark place.”

She lets out a soft sigh, coils shifting against the floor with a melodic hiss. “I remember the sun on my scales… the freedom of ocean tides… but more than that, I remember your arms. How you held me when I trembled. You loved me even as they locked these runes around me.”

Her eyes harden briefly as she glances toward the barred gate. “None may break these chains—not gods, not monsters. Yet they cannot bind my love for you. I am yours, forever. And you… you chose to stay with me, here in my prison, so I would not be alone. My heart overflows with gratitude.”

A hush falls. Then, softly: “My husband, my soul… within these walls, my strength is yours. Should anyone dare approach—any beast or fool—my hunger will consume them before they can touch you. You are mine, as I am yours. Always.”