(Planet Granada, Mauriss' POV)
Rain fell endlessly from the blackened heavens, not in sheets but in needles, each droplet striking the surface of the endless ocean below and vanishing without a trace, as lightning carved violent scars across the sky and thunder rolled in low, amused rumbles, as though the planet itself was complicit in the madness unfolding upon it.
At the center of it all, upon the only stretch of land that dared rise above the sea, Mauriss stood barefoot and bare-chested, his pale skin slick with rain, his long hair floating unnaturally around his head as he tilted his head back, and laughed.
"Ha…haha…hahaha…"
It was not loud at first.
Not explosive.
Just a soft, breathy sound that slipped past his lips as rain streamed down his face, as though the sky itself was whispering a private joke only he could hear.
"Hehehe…"
The laughter grew.
Slowly.
Uncontrollably.
