The chamber was silent, save for the hum of ancient magic coiled deep within its walls. It was a forgotten place, carved beneath the palace's foundation, untouched by sunlight or song. A single crystal sphere hovered in the air, pulsing faintly with power older than memory.
Azagoth stood alone beneath it, dressed not in the regal armor of an emperor but in a simple dark robe, heavy with dust and time. The weight on his shoulders wasn't war—not anymore. It was peace. Fragile, unnatural peace.
He reached out, pressing his palm against the console before him. The air shimmered, and the crystal sphere bloomed with light. It began recording.
> "If you're seeing this… then I'm gone."
His voice was calm, but his eyes told another story. Tired. Tired beyond age.
> "I never planned to leave the world like this. Sealed away. Hidden. But after what we saw out there—after what we did—I didn't know what else to do."
He paced slowly, the echo of his boots the only reply.
> "The outside world won't forget us. But they'll change. Rewrite the past until the truth fades into rumor. We'll become a myth, or a threat. Maybe both. That's why I cast the Veil… to keep Tempest safe. To give it time."
Azagoth stopped. Looked toward the crystal. As if he could see the future in it.
> "Noctas… I know this will be your burden one day. You were always curious. Always brilliant. You'll want to open the sky. To look beyond it. And maybe you should."
He hesitated. A flicker of doubt, the same kind he had buried during the war.
> "But listen to me, son. Don't lift the Veil out of pride. Or boredom. Or because you want to prove you're stronger than I was. Lift it only if you believe this empire is ready. If you're ready."
He stepped back, the recording nearing its end. For the first time in a thousand years, the great emperor sounded… human.
> "You'll inherit peace. Not truth. That's the part I couldn't give you. You'll have to decide what to do with it."
The crystal dimmed.
The chamber returned to silence.
And the last emperor of Tempest walked away, his footsteps swallowed by the quiet hum of the world he left behind.