Centuries passed.
Empires rose and fell. Languages shifted. Gods became myths, then metaphors, then footnotes.
Kael remained.
The seal held, but the strain grew subtly, inevitably. Not because it weakened, but because he did.
Not physically. Existentially.
Endurance was eroding him.
The hunger adapted, growing clever, offering efficiency over compassion. Kael resisted, but resistance required effort, and effort accumulated cost.
He wondered how long a choice could remain meaningful when repeated endlessly.