******
The Village was currently cloaked in an oppressive, tense silence, the air so heavy it seemed to suffocate.
Every eye was fixed on Xylen, whose head lay motionless on the block — the executioner's blade glinting ominously above, moments from cleaving through flesh.
The Villagers watched quietly, their faces contorted in horror, breath caught in their throats.
To be honest, none of them harbored any loyalty to Xylen. Pity, perhaps — a fleeting, bitter sentiment.
They had endured far too much anguish, too many deaths, and terror to feel any allegiance to a lord they barely remembered existed.
What truly terrified them, however, was none other than Kaelrik and the looming future.
The thought of Kaelrik—the sadist Demon as the sole lord of the fief, wielding absolute power to do as he pleased- sent chills down their spines.