I let out a long sigh, sinking deeper into the chair as the crackling fire before me offered a warmth I could hardly appreciate. The weight of the day's events hung over me like a heavy cloak, but more than anything, my mind was filled with memories—old ones that clung to the back of my thoughts like shadows.
King Valen. My foster father. His face flickered before my eyes, stern and proud, as it always had been when I was younger. He had raised me to be strong, to think before I acted, and above all, to value the long game over the short-term victory. I could almost hear him now, his gravelly voice echoing in my mind.
"Eldric," he would say, a glint of wisdom in his gaze, "Never mistake mercy for weakness. Control the chessboard, not just the pieces. Sometimes, leaving a pawn in play is more valuable than knocking it off the board."
