It seemed the pressure I'd been applying through consistent victories and demonstrated superiority wasn't sitting well with the protagonist. Kyle usually maintained his composed, heroic demeanor with everyone - but those he felt genuinely threatened by received this kind of juvenile provocation instead.
Trying to antagonize me by flaunting possession of something I had voluntarily discarded was... funny, actually. The old Adrian had been obsessed with Seraphina, making a fool of himself through transparent pursuit. Whilst I had broken that engagement without hesitation and never looked back.
Kyle was attempting psychological warfare using ammunition that had lost all its power the moment I'd awakened and transformed. He was fighting a version of me that no longer existed, which meant his tactics were fundamentally flawed from the start.
