Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I'm Stuck as Their Baby!-Chapter 110: Chains and Other Annoyances

My arms felt like they'd forgotten how to be arms. I hung limply from the cold iron cuffs, wrists raw and tingling, my shoulders burning from the strain. Every breath hurt, every heartbeat was a stubborn drumbeat echoing through the emptiness of my cell.

Honestly, I'd always thought chains were overrated dramatic, unnecessary props used by villainous fools. Now, unfortunately, I was learning firsthand just how annoyingly effective they could be.

[I told you to hold still,] the system snapped irritably, its tone sharp and impatient in my mind. [Your squirming isn't helping.]

I scowled in the dark, wiggling my wrists deliberately, just out of spite. "Easy for you to say," I muttered through gritted teeth, my voice rasping from hours of screaming. "You're not the one currently impersonating a human chandelier."

[Be grateful you can joke at a time like this. Most prisoners spend their time begging and sobbing.]

"Oh, trust me," I said bitterly, my tone edged with sarcasm, "the begging and sobbing is scheduled for later. Right now, I'm too annoyed to cry."

The system sighed dramatically in my mind, sounding suspiciously exasperated for an incorporeal entity. [You're lucky I'm patient.]

"Patient?" I barked a short, humorless laugh that echoed sharply against the damp stone walls. "You threatened to delete yourself because I forgot my gloves once."

[I was being dramatic,] it sniffed indignantly. [Now, please shut up and focus. Unless you'd prefer hanging here indefinitely.]

I sighed, forcing myself into silence, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. Concentration was a struggle; pain and exhaustion pulled constantly at my awareness, a relentless tide trying to drag me under. But beneath all that, buried somewhere in my chest, was that tiny, stubborn pulse of magic, glowing like a single candle in a hurricane.

Carefully, painstakingly, I reached toward that spark, nudging it gently, coaxing it to expand just a bit more. My fingers twitched involuntarily, numbness briefly replaced by a faint tingling warmth.

[That's it,] the system encouraged softly, its voice calmer now, reassuring. [Slowly. Gently.]

Magic flowed like molten gold through my veins, sluggish and reluctant at first, then gradually quickening, strengthening. A familiar warmth filled my chest, spreading gradually outward until it reached my wrists, pressing insistently against the iron cuffs.

The cuffs immediately reacted, tightening painfully, biting harder into my skin as they attempted to suppress the surge of magic. My breath hissed sharply, pain flaring anew but I held on, stubborn and determined.

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"You know," I gasped breathlessly, glaring down at the cuffs accusingly, "I really hate enchanted objects. They're entirely too opinionated."

[Less complaining, more concentrating,] the system snapped, though it sounded faintly amused. [You're close.]

The magic surged again, swelling with stubborn determination, battering persistently at the cuffs' resistance. The iron trembled, vibrations humming faintly through the chains, rattling softly as magic fought enchantment, strength clashing against suppression.

Sweat beaded my forehead, dripping slowly down my temples, each heartbeat louder, each second stretching unbearably long. The cuffs tightened further, agony searing sharply into my wrists, bones creaking ominously beneath the strain. A sharp cry escaped my lips involuntarily, pain briefly threatening my concentration.

[Hold on, Elyzara,] the system urged sharply, voice tense with worry. [Just a little more.]

I squeezed my eyes shut tighter, breathing shallow, forced to endure a sensation I could only compare to having my wrists slowly gnawed by particularly vindictive mice. But finally, mercifully, the enchantment began to fracture tiny cracks forming in the invisible barrier that suppressed my magic.

The cuffs shook violently, rattling louder now, chains jerking and clattering against the stone wall. With a sudden burst of magical energy, a loud metallic snap echoed sharply through the cell as the cuffs shattered, releasing me abruptly from their brutal grip.

I dropped unceremoniously onto the stone floor, landing painfully on my knees, bruising bone and dignity simultaneously. For a long, stunned moment, I stared at my freed wrists in astonishment, blinking rapidly, hardly daring to believe it had worked.

Then I promptly collapsed backward, groaning loudly as fresh waves of pain reminded me exactly how abused my poor body was. "Ow," I mumbled faintly, sprawled gracelessly on the cold, filthy ground. "No one ever mentions this part of daring escapes in adventure novels."

[You're free, aren't you?] the system said smugly. [Quit complaining.]

I rolled my eyes, slowly pushing myself upright, groaning dramatically as every muscle protested loudly against movement. "You know," I grumbled irritably, "for someone supposedly supportive, you're awfully unsympathetic."

[Supportive doesn't mean indulging your theatrics.]

Grumbling beneath my breath, I staggered to my feet, taking my first unsteady step toward the heavy wooden door. My magic thrummed eagerly beneath my skin, strength returning steadily, but fatigue still pulled at my limbs, dragging heavily like chains of exhaustion.

Carefully, I pressed my ear against the door, straining to listen. Silence stretched endlessly, broken only by the faint drip-drip of moisture trickling down ancient stones. Cautiously, I reached for the door handle, testing it gently.

Locked, of course. Why couldn't kidnappers ever be careless idiots?

I sighed irritably, stepping back slightly, magic humming softly beneath my fingertips, ready and waiting. "Stand back," I muttered dryly to the empty room, "the door's about to regret existing."

[Careful, Elyzara,] the system warned sharply, genuine caution threading through its voice. [We don't know what's on the other side.]

I paused briefly, considering. "Probably more pain and unpleasantness," I admitted reluctantly. "But honestly, I prefer that to staying here."

Gathering my strength, I unleashed a controlled burst of magic a concentrated force slamming violently against the wooden barrier. The door exploded outward spectacularly, splintering with a satisfying crash that echoed down unseen corridors.

Silence stretched ominously beyond the doorway, darkness thick and oppressive. Tentatively, I stepped forward, peering warily into the gloom, heart pounding wildly within my chest.

"Well," I murmured sarcastically, my voice trembling faintly, "here goes my dramatic escape. Let's hope my sense of direction is better than my luck."

The corridor beyond stretched endlessly, dimly lit by sparse torches flickering weakly against damp, mold-streaked walls. The air was thick with mildew and the faint, unsettling odor of decay. Shadows danced eerily across the stones, shapes twisting and turning as if mocking my hesitation.

Swallowing nervously, I started forward cautiously, bare feet slapping quietly against the cold stone floor. I moved slowly, every sense alert, magic humming anxiously beneath my skin, ready at a moment's notice.

I turned a corner and froze instantly.

A guard stood mere feet away, back to me, leaning lazily against the wall, clearly oblivious to the shattered door down the hall. His armor was tarnished, helmet slightly askew, humming softly to himself in blissful ignorance.

My heart stilled momentarily, panic surging but instinct and irritation surged stronger. Gathering my courage, I raised my hand silently, magic sizzling sharply between my fingertips, releasing it with precise accuracy.

The guard jerked violently, yelping sharply as magic struck him squarely in the back. He collapsed forward dramatically, limbs splayed awkwardly across the floor, his helmet clattering noisily against stone.

I stared down at him with faint surprise, nudging him experimentally with one toe. He didn't move.

"Well," I muttered faintly, raising one eyebrow skeptically, "that went suspiciously well."

[Congratulations,] the system said dryly. [You've defeated a single incompetent guard. Now perhaps you might consider actually escaping.]

I huffed irritably, stepping gingerly over the guard's prone form, continuing cautiously down the corridor. "I never imagined escaping from kidnappers would involve quite this much judgmental commentary," I muttered sourly. "Next time, remind me to get kidnapped by people who leave helpful maps and fewer sarcastic sidekicks."

[You're welcome.]

I sighed dramatically, rolling my eyes heavenward. If I ever escaped this placean d survived explaining to my family how I'd gotten kidnapped in the first place I intended to write a strongly worded letter to whichever deity had decided my life needed this particular brand of adventure.

But first, escape.

Squaring my shoulders resolutely, magic pulsing steadily beneath my skin, I continued forward into the darkness, determined not to become another cautionary tale.

After all, I'd survived enchanted cuffs, sarcastic systems, and incompetent guards surely things couldn't get much worse.

Famous last words, I thought sourly, pushing onward into uncertainty.

But at least I was moving.