The once-thriving lands of Jasper's kingdom lay in ruin. Homes were pillaged, villages burned, and the roads were littered with the bodies of those who failed to give him the answers he sought. His search for Nicole was merciless, a storm that consumed everything in its path. Fear spread like wildfire, whispers of his madness reaching even the most distant corners of the land. The people no longer saw their ruler as a king, but as a monster—one driven by vengeance and despair.
Jasper did not care not even a bit of humanity to him.
Every night, he wasted away in the dungeons, where the air was thick with the stench of blood and decay. The torches flickered against the damp stone walls, casting eerie shadows over the rows of chained prisoners. Some were merchants, others travelers who had the misfortune of crossing his land at the wrong time. They all begged for mercy. None received it.
