[FLASHBACK: 1793 – THE NIGHT OF THE BETRAYAL]
Ballroom chandeliers shattered as swords clashed. Alaric fought through the chaos, his armor slick with blood, his queen's scream ringing in his ears.
"Traitor!" she gasped, collapsing against him. A dagger protruded from her ribs.
A sorceress emerged from the smoke, her cloak sewn with thorns. "You swore to protect her," she hissed. "Now watch her legacy crumble."
The spell hit like a whip. Black vines erupted from the floor, wrapping Alaric's limbs, burrowing into his skin.
"Your oath is your chains," the sorceress whispered. "You will guard this ruin until the last Reinhardt breathes—and kills you."