The nighttime sky was illuminated from the fires still raging in the village below. Amongst the smoldering, broken buildings, a captain dropped to his knee, head lowered.

"Master, the last of the resisting forces have been eliminated. Our men are collecting the survivors."

A tall man, face shrouded in his cloak, received the report. "Very good. Be sure to search the village thoroughly; do not miss any survivors. He will probably want every…"

"You." Both men turned towards the interruption.

A child, covered in soot, dragged them self from a doorway. "You!" The child repeats, their harsh voice gaining in strength. "You are responsible for this! You coordinated this attack on my village!" The child screamed, the rage in their eyes burning away all tears, "You will pay! The depths of hell wil… urk!"

The tall man was suddenly there, holding the child by their throat.

"A noisy one, aren't you?" he said, gently. The child didn't struggle, choosing instead to snarl at him.

The man smiled. "Well then, let's fix that."

His hand around the child's neck started glowing. The child started to struggle, trying to cry out, tears of pain making tracks down their face. The child's eyes rolled back.

"Put it in with the rest." The tall man ordered, throwing the child at the captain. "He's never been picky about his subjects."