The Price of Power

Kaelion's mind buzzed as he walked away from the encounter, the weight of Ardyn's words echoing in his head like a warning bell. He barely registered the passing hours, each minute stretching into what felt like an eternity. The very air around him seemed charged, as if it had been infused with something dark and ancient, something that now thrummed with a life of its own.

His feet led him to his quarters almost on autopilot. The moment he stepped inside, he collapsed onto the large armchair near the window, his gaze distant as he stared out into the night. His reflection in the glass was blurred, a phantom version of himself—a version still wrestling with what had just transpired.

Ardyn's touch. His promises. His words. They swirled in Kaelion's mind, becoming a vortex he couldn't escape. What was this bond that tied him to Ardyn? Why did it feel as though the very essence of his being had been reconfigured the moment their paths had crossed?