Kael's mind went blank for a moment as the realization hit.
It wasn't dramatic in the way stories pretended it was, no cinematic flash of memories, no heroic swelling music, just a sudden, ugly stillness in his skull, like someone had wiped a chalkboard clean while he was mid-thought.
He stood there in that blue-ringed void with the council's presence pressing from all sides, and for a heartbeat, he couldn't even remember how to breathe properly.
Then it all came crashing back in at once.
Back then, He was honestly and fully depressed when he realized that he was stuck in the tower, unable to do anything for his lonely mother. The thought hit deeper than any goblin's blade ever could. It didn't stab, it sank. It was the kind of helplessness that didn't even bother yelling. It just sat in your chest and grew roots.
The option to leave at the tenth floor was something he knew about, but it could take months to even get there.
