Izan's heart pounded in his chest as he knelt before his father, the weight of the Emperor's gaze crushing him. He could feel the shift in the room, a tension so thick it was almost suffocating. His father's eyes, now bore an intensity that Izan had never seen before. The silence between them stretched on, heavy and oppressive.
"I-I don't…" Izan stammered, his voice cracking under the pressure. His mind raced, struggling to piece together what was happening. "I've always had it," he finally managed to say, his fingers instinctively gripping the pendant hanging around his neck. "Elian gave it to me when we were young. The day he saved me."
The Emperor's face twisted in disbelief. His eyes flicked back to the pendant, then to his son, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to form words that wouldn't come. His mind reeled, his thoughts moving too fast for him to catch hold of any one of them.
