Kael sat in his mansion, a cup of water in his hand. The residence was quiet. He had sent all his servants to his Starfall territory before the Void Realm expedition, and the staff had never been recalled.
He didn't mind the silence. After weeks of screaming, begging, and the wet sounds of torture, silence was a luxury he intended to enjoy.
He wore simple robes of dark grey, loosely tied, his hair still damp from the medical pod's regenerative fluid. His body ached in places he didn't know could ache. The Void Sovereign Physique had healed the physical damage, but the residual strain on his spiritual foundation lingered like a bruise on the soul.
He sipped the water.
KNOCK.
Kael set down the cup. "Come in."
The door opened. Sophie Mann stepped inside.
She looked exactly as he remembered. Dark hair falling past her shoulders.
She saw him. Her breath caught.
"Kael."
