King Vultur believed in poder —power over others. His army was vast, his dungeons deep, his laws written in blood. Every morning, he climbed his tallest tower and watched his subjects bow. “Fear is the only truth,” he told his generals. “He who can break bones, burn fields, and silence voices holds the world.”

Serra received his ultimatum at dusk. “Surrender or burn,” it read.

Serra did not move. “You have the power to kill us all,” she said calmly. “But you do not have the strength to make us hate you.”