Yize's footsteps echoed off the cold stone walls in the dim dungeons beneath the grand palace. The heavy scent of dampness and decay filled the air, and flickering energy balls cast long, eerie shadows across the corridors. His heart pounded as he stopped at a damaged iron door, its surface rusted and worn.

"It's here... This was Feng Deming's cell," he murmured.

Hesitating for a moment, he pushed it open with a creak. Darkness filled the large cell inside, but his keen eyes adjusted. Remnants of glyphs surrounded the center of the cell, scattered on the floor and glinting in the faint light.

Flashes of that dreadful day barged into his mind. The sight of Feng Deming deciphering the twenty seals and breaking those powerful chains, his golden eyes glowing red before he blew up most parts of the dungeon, haunted him to this day.

Yize scanned the room until his gaze landed on a stone slab in the corner, its surface worn down by years of use. "What's that?"

He approached the slab, his fingers brushing against something beneath it. With a grunt, he lifted the heavy stone, revealing a hidden compartment.

'What is this place?' Inside, he found a small chest in the corner. Running his hand against the rough surface, he opened it. "Did someone forget to secure this?" He discovered a bundle of letters and a small journal, the pages yellowed and brittle with age. He opened the journal with care, his eyes widening. "This handwriting... Lord Muchen?"

Leaning against the wall, he skimmed through the pages, each word adding to his unease.

"Starvation... thousand lashes... keeping him awake for days..."

His resolve hardened, his stomach knotting as a bitter taste crept up his throat, his mind circling back to Muchen.

A particular passage caught his eye: "Today, I tested the limits of the demon's endurance. The chains held him well, but he remains alive. I must try harsher methods."

Yize's stomach churned as he read the accounts of Muchen's involvement in every act of cruelty and the methods he used.

"Break him, bend him, make him obedient."

Yize's grip tightened on the journal, his knuckles tense. "Why? This isn't the behavior of a noble leader, but of a..." he whispered as a wave of nausea surfaced. "I should... make a replica of this."

He emanated a yellow light in his palm, forming a copy of the journal before placing the original back inside the chest. Just as he turned to leave, a hidden panel in the wall caught his eye.

"Is that...?" He pried it open to reveal an old, rusted dagger and a blood-stained cloth. "These..." Ache gripped his heart, telling him stories of the suffering endured in this sinister place. "I shouldn't stay here!"

He stepped back, his breath ragged. The clues in the cell painted a disturbing picture. He turned and left the dungeon, the door creaking shut behind him, the darkness of the cell now mirrored in his heart.