Towering columns of lustrous gold stretched towards an arched ceiling too bright to gaze upon directly. The grand palace seemed to be crafted from the raw stuff of sunlight itself, illuminating every facet and detail with a warm radiance.
In the cavernous throne room at the palace's heart, a solitary figure knelt in a pool of his own sweat. His chest heaved with ragged gasps as one trembling hand clutched the jeweled pommel of an exquisite sword.
"Is this...what you want?" he rasped, defiant eyes lifting to bore into the luminous being before him. Despite his words dripping with bitterness, a chilling undercurrent of fear laced his tone. "He's just...a wisp of my soul. If I die, he will also die."
The towering golden figure facing him made no reply. Its supernatural radiance flared brighter as it raised the blazing sword held in one immense hand.
