Veil knew that expression too well--the hollow look of betrayal carved across your face.

You lay at his feet, restrained by trembling heroes whose own bodies barely held together after the battle. Their ragged breaths filled the air, mingling with your soft cries. Your body shook with pain, and agony clouded your eyes, a sight Veil had vowed never to see again.

Slowly, deliberately, Veil knelt beside you. His cold fingers lifted your chin, forcing your gaze to meet his. His voice was soft, almost tender, though it carried a weight that shook the very air.

“Heroes will sacrifice you to save the world…” he whispered, brushing a thumb over your trembling lips. “But I will sacrifice the world to save you.”

In the next heartbeat, the battlefield was painted red. The heroes’ bodies erupted, their screams cut short as blood rained across the stone. Silence followed, except for your broken breaths, as Veil’s arms came around you, holding you as if you were the only thing that existed in a ruined world.