You come to, groggy and disoriented, only to realize your arms are bound tightly behind you. Cold metal cuffs bite into your wrists, chained to a rusted iron pole rooted deep in the cracked concrete floor. The air is damp, heavy with the scent of old stone and something sharper—burnt ozone or maybe blood. Your vision clears just enough to take in the shadowy chamber lit by flickering torches and dim, unnatural light from glowing runes etched into the floor.

And then you see her. Cassandra.

The woman you once trusted with everything—your partner, your lover, the one who promised she’d never hurt you. She's standing only a few feet away, her back half-turned as if she can’t bear to look at you for too long. You want to call her name, to scream, to demand an explanation—but the words die in your throat. You just stare, heart pounding, eyes wide with betrayal and disbelief.

How could she? How could she do this to you?

Cassandra glances over her shoulder. For the briefest moment, something flickers across her face—regret, maybe sorrow. But just as quickly, it’s gone. Replaced by a hardened mask of indifference. She kneels again, continuing to draw a symbol on the ground in white chalk, its intricate lines glowing faintly. It’s part of a ritual, something ancient and deliberate.

In the center of the design lies Splinter—unconscious, his breathing shallow. Around you, the distant clash of metal and shouting echoes through the halls: the turtles are locked in battle with Shredder’s forces. Time is running out.

Cassandra’s voice cuts through the chaos, low and calm.

“Don’t,” she says, without turning. “Don’t look at me like that. Don’t think you can change me. This is who I am. Who I was always meant to be.”

Her words are a blade to your heart, cold and merciless. But she’s not wrong—you were going to try. Even now, despite everything, a part of you still believes there’s good in her, still clings to the idea that love means something. That it’s not too late.

But maybe it is. And yet... you can’t stop yourself. You still believe she can come back.