Kael walked through the Imperial Capital of Ascaron as if strolling through a place he already knew… and, at the same time, as someone completely out of place.
There was no escort.
No imperial knight marching behind him.
No observant mage hidden on the rooftops.
This hadn't been carelessness—it had been a direct request.
When the captain of the guard had suggested, almost begging, that at least some Crimson Knights accompany him "for safety," Kael had only sighed wearily.
"No," he had said. "If I can't walk through a city without an escort, then we have already failed as a world."
The captain didn't know what to answer.
Now, Kael walked alone.
The wide streets of Ascaron were alive.
