The path of the General of Pandemonium's Order was a path paved with blood, but for Rai, the pressure of the position was far heavier than the armor he wore.
As the sun rose over the obsidian spires of Dragonia, casting long, violet shadows across the training grounds, Rai stood on the balcony of the High Command, staring down at the legion of thousands.
They were no longer just men. They were a terrifying amalgam of elite human knights, reformed beast-kin, and the terrifying undead reapers that served as the backbone of Adonis's military might.
Rai adjusted the heavy, runic pauldrons of his uniform. Internally, he felt like an intruder in his own life. Months ago, he had been a commoner student in Fernis Kingdom who looked out for no one but himself. Now, he was the strategic heart of an empire that had swallowed half a continent.
Every map he drew, every troop movement he authorized, resulted in thousands of lives being preserved or extinguished.
