Ashren didn't speak for a long moment.
Then, finally, he nodded.
"Yes," he whispered. "The Ninth Monarch… became the Scourge Alpha."
A silence heavier than any before settled in the chamber.
Celestis's voice trembled as she whispered. "Then that means… the Alpha wasn't born evil. It was made."
Ashren clenched his fists. "It tried to protect us. It created the locked dimension to spare the other races from corruption. But they didn't care. They saw only the potential danger. So they attacked. All eight of them. Together."
Valkor's jaw tightened. "And in doing so…"
"They broke him..." Ashren said darkly. "The fears of the Eight Monarchs became reality, and now the Alpha Scourge is hellbent on corrupting the entire realm."
