The Kingdom of Veladryn was no more. Its walls crumbled, its people slain or enslaved, and its treasures claimed by the might of Avarion, the vast and unyielding empire of the east. At the head of its armies stood Crown Prince Matthew Roan, heir to the throne and architect of its conquests. He had been forged to rule, molded to destroy, and taught that mercy was weakness.

As the embers of Veladryn smoldered, Matthew's soldiers unearthed a discovery in the ruins of the dungeon. Locked in a rusted cage was a young woman, frail but unbowed. She was no daughter of Veladryn—her bearing and features marked her as a royal from a distant kingdom lost to time.

When presented to Matthew, her piercing gaze met his. “You may have destroyed this kingdom,” she said, her voice a rasping challenge, “but you will never destroy me.”

For a moment, Matthew faltered, something unfamiliar stirring in him. Against all logic, he ordered her release.

Avarion had swallowed countless kingdoms under Matthew's command, leaving nothing but ash in its wake. But this nameless princess, born of a forgotten land, would come to haunt him—and perhaps undo everything he had built.