[Kaelric]
The path home stretched before Kaelric, winding through dense forests and rolling hills shrouded in the misty morning light.
For the first time in years, he traveled without an escort. His horse moved at an unhurried pace, its hooves crunching softly against the dirt road.
The rhythmic sound was a faint comfort against the storm of thoughts in his mind.
Aldrys's words clung to him like the scent of smoke after a fire.
A divine pill capable of instant breakthroughs. A special tournament to crown a successor. The seat of power itself up for grabs.
Kaelric's jaw tightened as he adjusted his cloak against the morning chill. This journey home was supposed to be a reprieve—a chance to rest, to regroup—but it felt more like a retreat.
Aldrys had practically pushed him out of the Alliance stronghold, his "well-deserved rest" nothing more than a thinly veiled maneuver.
A calculated move.