Ian leaned back on the bench, closing his eyes for a moment as the faint wind tugged at his hair. The events of the day replayed in his mind with sharp clarity. The six Queens, each powerful in their own right, had not only acknowledged him but bowed before him. The ritual still lingered in his veins, a warmth pulsing beneath his skin like a living flame. It should have been exhilarating, yet all he felt now was a gnawing pressure, a weight that seemed to grow heavier the more he thought of it.
He muttered softly to himself, "Leader of an Empire… me? I don't even know how I got here."
The thought made him chuckle bitterly, though there was no humor in it. Where he had come from, the most responsibility he bore was surviving deadlines, exams, and the occasional expectation from others. Now he was bound by mana to six rulers who looked at him with reverence and expectation, as if the destiny of their entire world hinged on his shoulders.
