(6 Months Later)
The morning of the execution was gray and heavy with mist, but the streets of the capital were packed. People had traveled for days to see the end of the man who had haunted their kingdom like a shadow. When Tian Fei was led onto the platform, the crowd didn't roar with anger. They watched in a chilling, respectful silence.
The man who stepped up to the rope was not the proud, arrogant Lord Fei who had tried to seize the throne. He was a shell. His hair had turned white, his skin was sallow, and his eyes darted around in terror, seeing things that no one else could. Ever since that night in the dungeon, the ghosts of his victims had never left him. He didn't even look at the crowd. He was too busy whispering apologies to the empty air beside him. When the trapdoor finally dropped, there was a collective sigh of relief from the thousands watching. Justice had finally been served, and the families of the fallen could finally sleep in peace.
***
