A hidden truth lay within those pages, one not spoken aloud but now revealed to him—the illusion of choice. What had seemed like an empire where all voices mattered was, in reality, a masterfully designed mechanism of control. And now, Zephyr alone bore the weight of this knowledge.
Yet, with this revelation came another—one that unsettled him far more.
The book pointed out a growing issue within the kingdom, one that Zephyr had not yet noticed but would inevitably come to face. What disturbed him most was not the problem itself—though it was indeed a grave one—but rather the solution the book proposed. The words seemed almost alive, as if the book could peer into his mind, recognizing his unease and addressing it before he had even finished forming the thought.
And unknown to him, someone else had already acknowledged the issue and was handling it. But not in the way the book recommended.
