The sky above the fallen capital burned with a fury no sun could match—black smoke rising like a dark crown, the flames licking the heavens with a merciless hunger. The golden spires that once symbolized hope lay shattered, crushed beneath the weight of Kaelgor's conquest. Blood soaked the streets, rivers of red ink staining the pages of history.
Upon a throne forged from bones and ruin sat Kaelgor—the Tyrant. His armor was blacksteel, cold and unyielding, tempered in dragon fire and etched with the scars of countless battles. Upon his brow rested a crown made of severed horns, trophies taken from ancient gods who had dared to oppose him.
In his left hand, he gripped the Veil of Nullara, an artifact of devastating power that had silenced the world's magic itself. In his right, the The Soulshard—still wet with the soul of the last hero who dared challenge his reign.
At his feet knelt not generals, nor friends, but his most loyal underlings—living weapons forged from fear and unwavering obedience.
"The last kingdom has fallen," one whispered, voice trembling. "There is nothing left, my Lord."
Kaelgor's cold gaze swept the desolation around him. No armies remained to be crushed. No champions stood to challenge him. No prophecies lingered to mock his rule.
Only silence.Only ashes.Only the hollow echo of a world undone.
A slow, dark smile crept across Kaelgor's face.
"So this is victory," he said, his voice a low rumble that shook the earth beneath him. "I expected more."
A moment's pause.
"Then… what now, my Lord?" his servant dared ask.
Kaelgor rose, the immense power coiling around him like a living storm—the dread of entire nations extinguished, the memory of every spell and sword now his to command. Words were no longer necessary; the world bent to his will without them.
"Now," he said, eyes blazing like dying stars, "I begin again."
With a swift motion, Kaelgor traced a forbidden sigil into the air—a rune that tore at the fabric of time itself. Reality screamed in defiance.
"A new life. A new chance. Not to conquer…" His voice dropped to a whisper, "...but to understand."
His followers screamed, swallowed by searing light as the spell took hold. Kaelgor cast one last look at the world he had broken—then smiled.
"Let the world try again. I will still win. Even if I don't want to."