The One Who Stayed Behind
The memories were gone.
The hall had fallen silent.
Only Aurelia and the cloaked figure remained beneath the dying light of the empty thrones.
For so long, he had watched from the shadows—through the city, through the echoes, through the vision of the Dawnborn’s final departure.
Now, at last, he spoke.
“You saw them leave.”
His voice carried the weight of centuries.
“Now you must understand why I stayed.”
Aurelia could not answer.
The crown had chosen her for a reason.
And whatever truth waited beyond his words…
was something even the silence seemed afraid to reveal.