***Cassius***
When the tears finally stopped, I felt hollowed out, exhausted in a way that went beyond physical tiredness.
Cadiz handed me water, and I drank gratefully, the cool liquid soothing my raw throat. My hands still shook slightly as I lowered the cup.
"There's more you need to know," Cadiz said gently, settling beside me on the floor. "A lot has happened in the two months you were gone."
Two months. It still didn't feel real.
"The war," I said, my voice still rough. "What happened?"
Cadiz exchanged a glance with Raizel before answering. "It's over. We won, the empire fell."
I stared at him, trying to process that. "The empire fell? King Oswin?"
"Dead," Raizel said flatly. "My father killed him in the throne room, the Avaly bloodline is ended."
The words should have meant something, should have sparked some feeling of triumph or satisfaction. But I felt strangely numb, disconnected from it all.
"And the designation system?" I asked.
