Akinari PoV
I shook my head, recalling what I had done. My hands trembled like they had before and after I had killed my own mother. The weight of that decision hung heavily on me, a constant reminder of the cost of ambition. I had thought that by eliminating her, I would seize the title of Magus Maximus, that I would claim the power I had always craved. But in the end, her death had not brought the glory I sought. It had unraveled everything.
The empire she had ruled with an iron fist had quickly fractured after her demise. The once-mighty realm of Xeleria, which I had envisioned conquering, lay in tatters. The kingdoms she had kept in check had risen up, each vying for power and influence, and I was left to pick up the pieces.
