"I thought we had a chance."
He wiped his eyes slowly, letting the silence stretch.
"But in the end... "
"…the devil used something—some kind of artifact. I don't know what it was exactly. But the light…"
He raised a hand slightly, as if shielding himself from a memory too bright, too violent.
"It detonated. A wave of destruction that swallowed everything. Magic wards crumbled. The walls collapsed. I—"
He stopped, drawing a shaky breath.
"The last thing I remember was seeing a figure—clad in silver and crimson—charging toward me through the fire."
A murmur swept through the gathered nobles.
"That was the Divine General," Kael said.
"He pulled me from the rubble. He saved me when no one else could. Because…"
He lifted his chin slowly, eyes distant.
"Because I'm the Chosen One."
He didn't say it with arrogance. He said it with sorrow.
"I woke up. Alone. My family… gone. My house, ashes. Everything that defined me—destroyed in one morning."
No one breathed.
