I came back through the portal like a man running from himself.
The body still ached, but it was the mind that was shattered. Zarvokh was gone, but his words kept echoing in my head, like splinters stuck where no one could reach.
"You were born to break the flow."
I didn't know if he was right. But part of me — the part that scared me the most — wanted him to be.
The portal closed behind me. The light disappeared. The silence of the royal chamber returned. The hallway was empty, but there was a tension in the air, as if the castle's own magic had sensed something had changed.
I went straight to my room. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I just needed silence. Isolation. Time.
But they were there.
Orzoth, Kaelon, and Varian.
Standing. Waiting for me. As if they knew I would return broken.
"Drayk…" — Varian began, voice soft, as always.
