I stared back at Ossian, and despite the cosmic horror pressing down on me, despite Zephyr's vacant eyes and the weight of impossible choices, I found myself chuckling. It was a cold, bitter sound that echoed strangely in the bone chamber.
"There's no real choice here, is there?" I said, my voice dropping all pretense of fear or respect. "You're not offering me three paths. You're offering me one, the second one, and dressing the other two in costumes so horrific that 'damned salvation' looks like the only rational option. You're trying to make me choose to be your herald because that's what you need. Right?"
Ossian's smile didn't falter, but the amusement in his violet eyes sharpened, becoming colder, more analytical. "Think whatever you wish, little mouse. But my offer stands, exactly as I stated it."
