You stood in the center of the throne room, the bound demon still whimpering at your feet, when something unexpected happened.
The four otherworldly heroes — Kael (the fire-user) and the other three — suddenly stepped forward from the side of the hall. Their faces were pale, eyes filled with genuine fear and shame. One by one, they dropped to their knees before Lukas, heads bowed low, foreheads almost touching the marble floor.
Kael spoke first, voice cracking:
"Lukas… Cosmic Lord Lukas… I… we… were wrong. We treated you like garbage. We made you walk while we rode. We mocked you, humiliated you, forced you to serve us. We called you useless every single day. We were blind, arrogant fools who thought the Goddess's blessings made us better than everyone else."
The second hero continued, voice trembling:
"We swear on our lives and our blessings… we will never look down on anyone again. Not you, not any adventurer, not any villager. We were wrong. Completely wrong."
The third and fourth heroes echoed the same, heads still bowed:
"Please… forgive us. We beg you."
Then all four of them turned their heads toward you, still on their knees, and spoke in unison:
"Lord Grim… please. Take us with you as companions. Let us fight beside you, your brother, Lady Miya, and Liora. We want to help destroy the Demon Lord and the Goddess who betrayed us all. We know we don't deserve it… but we will follow any order you give. We will prove ourselves. Just… give us a chance to make this right."
The entire throne room was stunned into silence once again.
The King stared with wide eyes. The nobles whispered in disbelief. The priests looked horrified at the open betrayal of the Goddess.
Miya's tail flicked once, her emerald eyes narrowing slightly — she was clearly skeptical but waiting for your word.
Lukas stood tall beside you, shadows swirling slowly around him. He looked down at the kneeling heroes with a calm, unreadable expression. There was no immediate anger… but no warmth either.
Liora stayed quiet at his side, watching everything carefully.
The four heroes remained on their knees, heads bowed, waiting for your judgment.