Malkar was deeply torn.
No matter which choice he made, neither path was easy for him.
Almost without realizing it, his gaze drifted across the vast palace around him.
This was the palace that had belonged to him for countless years, the grand hall that symbolized his authority as the Emperor of the Abyss.
Yet, if he truly agreed to Daniel's proposal, then this palace would no longer be his.
Even if Daniel left the building in his possession, the entirety of the Abyss would no longer answer to his commands.
But if he chose to refuse? Then Malkar feared he would not live to see the next sunrise.
Since the day of his birth, Malkar had never once left the Abyss.
He had spent his entire existence in this endless pit of darkness and filth.
There were times when he wondered—what did the world outside look like?
What would it feel like to bask in sunlight, to breathe air that was not choked with corruption?
The Abyss was the place he knew better than anything else.
