"Take her to the dungeons," Ken commanded, his tone calm but heavy with finality. "Bind her with celestial restraints and ensure she is guarded day and night. No one goes near her without my order."
The soldiers obeyed instantly, stepping forward in rigid formation. Two of the ascendant ranked cultivators descended beside the fallen Empress, their expressions impassive. One of them lifted her gently but firmly by the arm, the other reinforcing the binding aura that already surrounded her.
Khan stood aside, his face pale and conflicted. His eyes flickered between his mother and the Celestial leader, and then down to the ground. The faint tremor in his hand betrayed the storm within him, but he did not speak. He dared not. The Empress's gaze found him through the curtain of her veil, filled with disbelief, sorrow, and the faintest trace of yearning...as though even now she still hoped to see her son awaken from this nightmare. But Khan averted his eyes.
