Victor Zane, the King of Northriver, felt the blood drain from his face as a horrifying movie played in his mind.
It was a reel of memories from his release day. The grand banquet. The fear. The overwhelming pressure of Jack Brooks.
The incident at the Myriad Dragons Chamber had left deep psychological scars. That night, the man known as the "Invincible Victor" had tossed and turned in his silk sheets, drenched in cold sweat, haunted by nightmares of a young man with eyes like black holes.
The next day, he had fallen ill.
His private doctor diagnosed him with "Qi and blood deficiency caused by acute terror," bile reflux, and cardiac arrhythmia. For three days, the King of Northriver lay in bed with an IV drip in his arm, popping Nitroglycerin pills like candy just to keep his heart fro
