Back to Liam.
He stood frozen in that echoing chamber, surrounded by all the illusions of splendor and legacy his heart might've once craved—but now, they weighed on him like chains. His mind churned with the truth of it all. The child, the palace, the peace… the life he'd never imagined but now somehow wanted. It was all a dream dangling in front of him—so close he could taste it.
But not without a cost.
He looked toward his older self, who still stood tall, regal, and expectant. A mirror image of what he could become. And yet, Liam didn't feel inspired by him anymore. He felt... trapped. As if this future, however golden it appeared, was a prison built on someone else's bones.
He took a breath.
His chest rose and fell slowly as the weight settled over him. The decision.
He knew the answer. He had known it all along. Deep in his gut.
He could not, and would not, sacrifice anyone to save himself.
