(Within the Time-Stilled World, Leo's Private Mansion, Leo's POV)
The flickering blue light of the holographic projector painted the walls behind Leo in cold shades of sorrow as he pressed play.
*TRRRR*
A faint hum filled the room, like the heartbeat of a dying star, as the image came to life before him, grainy at first, then sharp enough to draw blood.
As there he was– Aegon Veyr.
His cousin. His brother in all but direct blood.
The same boy who once wielded his sword with unshakable pride and carried the future of the Cult upon his back, who now stood stripped of all dignity, as he was paraded naked through the streets of the righteous planets in a transparent glass cage.
Chains coiled around his wrists and ankles, glowing faintly as suppressive sigils flickered across their surface. His head hung low, but his spine remained unbroken, his silence louder than any plea for mercy could have been.
