The silence that followed Darius' last breath was deafening. His body lay still, lifeless at Leon's feet, his smirk forever frozen in time. With a final command, Leon turned to his shadows, who wrapped around the corpse and reduced it to nothingness.
The execution was swift. Just. Necessary.
Kaelis stood beside him, watching as the symbol of the Empire's manipulation was erased. For years, Darius had controlled the city through lies, shadows, and fear, but that control had been shattered.
With Darius gone, the corruption that choked the city began to weaken. Leon and Kaelis moved quickly, exposing the Eternal Empire's influence embedded deep within the government, guilds, and even the merchant houses. One by one, they unraveled the threads.
That same day, standing atop the tower's highest platform, Leon addressed the city for the first time in years.
"My name is Leon Ashbourne," he declared, his voice echoing through the streets, empowered by shadow and presence. "You were lied to. Buried truths and twisted history have ruled your lives. But no more."
Gasps, cries, and stunned silence followed.
"The Eternal Empire manipulated your leaders. They buried me, and others like me, to control you. Darius was one of their hands, his reign of lies ends today."
That single moment shifted the city's future.
Rumors turned to truths. Fear turned to fury. The people began to resist the claws of the Empire. Some cried out in support, while others remained in disbelief, but the truth could no longer be silenced.
In the days that followed, Leon and Kaelis trained relentlessly. Dungeons were raided. Monsters slain. Each battle tempered them further. Leon's control over his ice magic grew slowly, combining eerily well with his shadow mastery. Kaelis, ever vigilant, pushed Leon to his limits in both swordsmanship and strategy.
One evening, after a long day of training, the two sat beside a dying campfire beyond the city's edge.
"If Kel was the weakest of the Eternal Empire's commanders…" Leon said quietly, staring into the flames, "then we need to get much stronger."
Kaelis nodded grimly. "I told you, this Empire is far bigger than you think. They're rooted deep across the world. You can't do it alone. That's why I approached you in the first place."
Leon gave a faint smirk. "I don't plan to do it alone. But I need more power before we move on them. I need to be ready."
Kaelis looked at him seriously. "Then we train harder. Smarter. And we find others who won't kneel to the Empire."
While the city adjusted to its new ruler, a council member who had stepped in after Darius's death, peace slowly began to return. Markets reopened, guards patrolled with clearer eyes, and the fog of manipulation that had clouded the people's hearts began to lift.
But in the shadows beyond the city, the true war was just beginning.
Leon and Kaelis trained, day after day, storming dungeons and sharpening their skills. The people whispered his name again, not in fear, but in hope.
Leon Ashbourne had returned.
And this time, he would not be forgotten.