Lumin shrugged casually, as if discussing the weather rather than standing in the lair of an ancient abyssal horror.
"It's nothing amazing," Lumin replied, his voice casual, almost bored. "I was thinking... What if I just kill you instead of taking the stone and wasting time with all these theatrics? Wouldn't that be much easier?"
The chamber fell into absolute silence. Even the gentle pulsing of the Nexus Stone seemed to pause, as if the universe itself had taken a breath.
Then Ossian's laughter exploded through the space, wild and unhinged.
"Had you gone completely insane, little mouse?" he wheezed between fits of manic amusement. "Kill me? You can barely stand in my presence without trembling, and you think you can—"
"Since you're so powerful," Lumin interrupted smoothly, his smile never wavering, "you should know I'm speaking the truth. Right?"
