Adrian looked at his servant and asked,
"Tobin, tell me what really happened while I was unconscious."
Tobin hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
"My Lord, while you were unconscious, the Abyss Wave hit. I couldn't leave you helpless, so I used my savings to bring us to a fortress called Steelhold. We stayed there for a week… but when the Abyss Wave ended, we were kicked out."
The Abyss Wave was a dangerous event that happened every month. Monsters came from the abyss and destroyed everything in their path. These creatures didn't care what they destroyed, living or not. If his castle had been left unprotected, it would have been destroyed too.
"So that's what happened to my castle, huh?" Adrian thought, his face growing serious.
Tobin lowered his head.
"My Lord, I'm sorry… I couldn't rebuild the castle. We didn't have the money without any support."
Adrian shook his head.
"It's fine, Tobin. I'll find a way."
He looked at Tobin, the only servant who had stayed with him through everything.
"Loyalty is rare," Adrian thought. "Anyone can hire servants, but a truly loyal one is priceless. Someone who stays with you when everything falls apart is worth keeping."
His mind raced. What should I do now?
Their ruined castle was in Luthen, the biggest of the three continents: Luthen, Zorin, and Veyra.
In Luthen, four major nations ruled the land:
The Antares Empire – The strongest, with an unmatched military.
The Kingdom of Zhentaris – The second-strongest, close to Antares in military strength.
The Eldorian Kingdom – A leading economic power with a solid defense.
The Antares-Zhentaris Confederacy – A neutral state created to stop a war between Antares and Zhentaris.
With his castle in ruins and his name forgotten, Adrian knew one thing for sure: if he wanted to survive, he had to rebuild everything from the ground up.