There was no one there for her at the top. Ari had connived, coerced and manipulated all of Talkar into believing she was a Royal Seer and an expert on prophecy - a rare magical construct that impacted the world, yet the empire had little knowledge of its inner workings. She maneuvered herself into a lofty position to where she enjoyed the luxuries and trappings of the high life and the elite. What more could she want?
Except deep down, she didn't have any real motive to do this. What was she trying to prove? Her worth to a father who had already abandoned her back in Zabokar? To a father who was still nowhere to be seen to validate all the hard work she had done in such a short time? Who was there by her side that she could revel with in her victory? Ari had no one, because there was no one. Her upbringing forced her to handle things alone. She was a lone reptile in a sea of vipers in Talkar.
She was playing a dangerous game, she knew, trying to manipulate the entire imperial senate to her ambitions, but she couldn't back out now. She just wished there was someone she could talk to and release the fear and anxiety she held deep inside - but she couldn't do that. The pride instilled in her by her father wouldn't let her. It was in these dark moments she contemplated what she felt was the inevitable.
