Gorath sighed before he turned to face Liam directly.
"So why wait for the twenty-one heroes when they can bring forth divine judgment now? Why spend years completing the summoning when conventional warfare was proving effective?"
"And so it began," Liam said softly. "The Radiant Empire's attack on us."
"Yes. With our forces already suffering and depleted from the failed attack, we were put in a losing defensive position. Every battle was retreat. Every siege was delay. The war Lilith started to save the empire was destroying it almost as fast as the prophecy would have."
Gorath's burning eyes held Liam's.
"Her gambit didn't save the empire. It accelerated our destruction. It revealed our weakness. It gave the Radiant Empire the confidence to attack before they were fully prepared."
The weight of it was crushing. Liam could see it now—the shape of Lilith's desperation. The impossible choice between waiting for certain death or gambling on uncertain salvation.
She'd gambled.
