He woke to darkness.
And pain.
The first thing he felt was the weight of the chains. His wrists throbbed where the celestial sigils burned into his skin, restricting his power. The shackles pulsed faintly, draining him, weakening him.
The second thing he felt was the cold floor beneath him.
Stone.
A cell.
Kazh’s head ached as he lifted it. The dim glow of the sigils cast eerie shadows against the walls, revealing the prison he had been thrown into—deep beneath the Citadel, where only the forsaken were sent.
He had heard whispers of this place. A dungeon where those who questioned the High Order disappeared, their names erased, their existence forgotten.
And now, he was one of them.
Footsteps echoed beyond the bars.
“You have disobeyed your commander’s orders,” a voice boomed.
Kazh forced himself to look up. A council of robed figures stood before him, their faces shrouded in the golden glow of their hoods.
“The truth,” Kazh croaked. “I fought for it.”
“You fought against your own,” the lead figure interrupted.
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Kazh clenched his fists. “Because they were wrong.”
No reaction.
Then—
“You wish to leave?”
Hope flickered.
“You will not walk free,” the voice declared. “You will fall.”
And the hope was gone.
Years passed.
At first, Kazh thought they had forgotten him.
The world above moved on without him. The war continued. The celestial army marched across the stars, crushing those who resisted, swallowing entire realms into their growing empire. And Kazh remained in the dark, the weight of his chains growing heavier with time.
Then—one day—the silence broke.
Boom.
The prison trembled. Dust rained from the ceiling.
Boom.
This time, the floor cracked.
Shouting erupted beyond the iron doors.
The war had reached the celestial realm.
The truth had spread.
Screams echoed through the corridors as explosions rocked the prison walls. The very foundations of the Grand Citadel trembled. Kazh struggled to his feet, his chains dragging against the stone.
The door to his cell burst open.
Not from an ally. Not from a rescuer.
From the force of the battle outside.
Smoke filled the air. Figures clashed in the corridors—soldiers, rebels, beings of light and shadow. Kazh barely had time to react as a blast of energy struck the ceiling, sending stone crashing down.
He reached the edge of the Citadel, where the sky split open in golden fire.
And there, at the precipice of the world he once called home—
He stepped off the edge.