Aric's grip tightened around the knife as he stood over Lady Lisellie Brienne, her chest rising and falling in the shallow rhythm of sleep. For a moment, he let himself feel the sharp thrill of what this act could set in motion, the first stone in a landslide of well-planned destruction.
But then her eyes flew open, catching the dim candlelight, and a small, triumphant smile crept onto her lips.
"You shouldn't have hesitated…bastard," she whispered, her voice as venomous as the glint in her eyes.
Before he could react, her fingers unfurled, revealing a crushed mana crystal, its shattered fragments shimmering with a faint, otherworldly glow. Aric's instincts flared, but it was too late.
The air pulsed, pressing down on him like the weight of a thousand boulders. His chest tightened, his pulse raced, and he felt the oppressive, unmistakable presence of a powerful ki—a bloodlust so intense it seemed to fill every corner of the room, like smoke that clung to his skin.
