"The saying goes that when someone is dying, they will see their life flash before their eyes, reliving everything—am I really going to die now?"
Alaric, unsure to whom he was speaking, stood before another version of himself, lying unconscious due to the curse he had been afflicted with.
He remembered vividly all of his past, recalling the miraculous escape and crawl back to Nightshade Mansion.
Upon his return, he found his entire family celebrating a cousin's birthday with grandeur, despite the news of Alaric's forces losing having arrived days ago. The party was extravagant, with Alaric even noticing the lavish feast prepared for his cousin. Despite how often he had won wars and expanded Nightshade's territory, he had never received such a celebration, let alone gratitude from them.
