Two Days Later,
In the palace:
King Nyxen stepped into the damp, low-ceilinged cell where Xavier was kept confined. The prisoner hung suspended from chains bolted to the stone ceiling, his clothes torn and stained with dark blood.
His breathing was shallow and ragged, suggesting he was hovering on the precipice of collapse. The intensity of the interrogation had been severe, yet Xavier had not uttered the single truth the King required.
"You have forced me to step into this foul cell myself," King Nyxen remarked, his gaze cold as he surveyed the battered form before him. "Do you truly intend to persist in protecting your sister? Your family has already been officially stripped of their noble title. Your sister possesses no authority or means to save any of you now," he pronounced.
Turning his head slightly, the King gave a curt gesture to the guard standing at the threshold, signaling for the soldier to release Xavier from the heavy chains.
