Defeated?

I woke in a dim, suffocating room of cold concrete. A single torch hissed weakly on the wall, its light barely pushing back the shadows. Heavy chains bound me against the stone, each link leeching the mana from my body until I felt hollow. My clothes were nothing more than a ragged scrap, stained and the color of rot, clinging loosely to my skin. The ground beneath my bare feet was rough and biting, a constant reminder of how exposed I was. Directly ahead stood a lone door, the only exit. Its presence loomed in the darkness, silent and heavy, as though it were waiting for something.

It feels cold…

The door groaned open, spilling a sliver of light into the cell. Vaeltharion stepped through. Rage surged in me, hotter than anything I had ever felt. Even worse than the hatred I’d carried in my previous life.

“You!” My voice cracked with fury. “What did you do to Akiko?!”

He didn’t flinch. “You should really be more concerned with the situation you’re in.”

“Tell me what you did!”

“Your kind is being sent away,” he said flatly, his tone colder than the stone walls. “For the needs of this nation.”

Before I could react, his fist slammed into my stomach. Breath tore from my lungs in a ragged gasp.

“W-what about the Demon King?” I wheezed. My vision blurred as darkness tugged at the edges.

And then, his face changed. For the first time, I saw real emotion from him. A smile, twisted and sinister.

“There is no Demon King.” The words hollowed me out.

Then everything faded.

I’d never got the chance to tell Akiko how I feel...