The ruined chapel stood in silence. Broken glass shimmered on the stone floor, the altar cracked, the candles burnt low.There, before the shattered holy place, knelt Liona, her golden hair dim in the fading light.
She whispered, her voice trembling like a secret:
Liona:"Azeron… if you can hear me… I am still bound to your words. I have not forgotten. Tell me… do you still watch me? Do you still command me?"
The air grew heavy. The shadows swelled. And from the darkness behind her, a voice cut through like steel:
Azeron:"I have come again."
Liona gasped, spinning to see him—tattered robes, bloodied flesh, eyes burning like fire. He bled like a man, yet stood like eternity.
She fell instantly to her knees, her forehead pressed against the stone.
Liona:"My lord! You truly walk this world… even wounded, your presence is divine. Forgive me for doubting—"
Azeron:"Silence. I did not return to hear your worship. A god has no need for weeping disciples. What I demand is obedience."
Liona trembled, but raised her eyes, her voice unsteady yet desperate.
Liona:"Then command me, my lord. I will obey! Sebdue trembles with your shadow. The world whispers your name. Tell me—what must I do?"
Azeron's gaze was cold, his voice dripping with both venom and promise.
Azeron:"You swore to spread my name. Now I bind you to it. Return to your kingdom. Walk back into their courts of liars and cowards. And speak my name not as rumor… but as law.
Tell them Azeron has come. Tell them I do not bless. I do not heal. I do not love. I reign. Those who obey will live beneath my shadow. Those who resist will drown in it."
Liona's breath caught in her throat, her hands shaking as she pressed them against her chest.
Liona:"Yes… yes, my lord! I will not whisper your name—I will roar it. I will poison their feasts with it, I will burn it into their prayers. They will not breathe without remembering you!"
A faint smile twisted across Azeron's lips, cruel and knowing.
Azeron:"Do not mistake this for devotion, Liona. This is not faith. This is not love. This is obedience. Fail me, and you are dust. But obey… and when the crowns of false kings crumble, the throne you covet may yet be within your grasp."
Her eyes widened, her heart hammering as if struck by lightning.
Liona:"My throne…? Then I swear, by my blood, by my name—Liona will be your herald. Your voice in the world of men. Your shadow in their halls!"
Azeron stepped closer, his shadow consuming her figure.
Azeron:"Good. Then go. I have come again, Liona… and I will come again, until all bow."
And in a breath, his body dissolved into shadow, leaving only silence.
Liona remained kneeling in the ruins, her eyes burning with new fire. The princess who once wept in chains now walked away with purpose.
Not as a queen.Not as a ruler.
But as the herald of Azeron.