[Emperor Cassius Pov]
"…You… how did you…"
Kaelith Ilstar choked on his own blood, the words scraping out of his throat like shards of broken glass. He lay sprawled across the marble steps of his throne—my throne now—blood trailing behind him like a second cloak.
He clutched his stomach, where my blade had found him moments ago. Shaking. Drenched in red. Still breathing—but not for long.
Pathetic.
I reclined lazily on the high seat he once called a throne, one leg over the other, my sword resting across my lap, still dripping with his royal blood. The silver-flame banner of Irethene lay scorched beneath my boots, and the shattered remnants of his crown rolled somewhere in the rubble.
I smirked down at him, my voice cold and precise.
"Did you think we didn't strike you until now because we were weak?" I asked. "Did that little fantasy keep you warm at night while your priests whispered victory into your ears?"
Kaelith groaned, eyes dazed with disbelief and agony.
