Cassel — POV
"Before I say anything, tell me first—what can you offer me if I save your son? Or rather… if I save your entire family from their inevitable destruction?"
My voice was calm—too calm. The kind of calm that unsettles even seasoned warriors. A faint curl touched my lips as my eyes locked with General Zan's, watching his reaction with quiet scrutiny.
The old man's expression hardened. He was difficult to read, but not impossible. This man was neither simple nor foolish—that was why he had survived this long. Even with three generals uniting against him before and after the end of the world, he had refused to fall. He had clawed his way through betrayal, bloodshed, political warfare, and the chaos of the apocalypse with a steadiness few could reproduce.
