The chamber was growing darker as more light was absorbed, but somehow Arthur remained clearly visible, as if illuminated from within.
"It took me forty-seven years to break free of that tomb. Forty-seven years of solitude and fury, forty-seven years to fully comprehend what I was capable of becoming. And when I finally emerged into daylight, do you know what I discovered?"
His voice was rising now, taking on the tone of someone delivering a long-rehearsed lecture.
"I found that the seven families had spread across the galaxy like a plague, establishing kingdoms and empires wherever they went. I found planets where entire populations existed only to serve the whims of your ancestors. I found civilizations that had been conquered, enslaved, or simply erased because they possessed resources the families wanted."
Arthur raised his hand, and shadows began flowing toward him from every corner of the chamber.
