On an island far away from the main island where the banquet was being held, a figure stood on a massive boulder, calmly overseeing a small army of youths.
The figure was tall and imposing, his presence cold and distant as he stood on the boulder with both hands clasped behind his back.
His expression was emotionless, as though carved from ice. He looked down at the trembling youths below, hundreds of them, shaking, some praying under their breaths, others staring into the void with lifeless gazes.
Yet, he looked at them like they were nothing more than ants meant for slaughter.
With the unmistakable features of the Dimensari race, Carius's lips parted, his voice rolling out like a death sentence.
"You have one minute to come to terms with your fate. Prepare to fulfill your destiny."
The shivering of the youths intensified the moment they heard him speak.
One minute.
Just one more minute, and they would die.
