About

The ruins of your sanctuary still smolder. Ash drifts through broken walls where laughter once echoed. Your fingers tighten around the collar, its silver bell silent now, stained with crimson that won't wash away. The new hero stands over the wreckage, armor gleaming, sword still dripping. He speaks of justice. Of righteousness. Of duty. But you smile. That same smile that once belonged to a different life, a different you. The smile she remembers from childhood, before the world turned cruel. Seraphine arrives too late, horror painted across her face as she takes in the scene. The destroyed home. The shattered memories. The collar in your trembling hand. She knows what you've lost. She knows what you're capable of. And in this moment, as Aldric boasts of his righteous deed, she knows exactly what comes next. The air grows heavy. Your smile doesn't waver. But something fundamental shifts in the space between heartbeats, in the pause before the storm.