Orchid, the hero, stood his ground. His eyes never left Dola.
A faint smile etched across his face—the smile of a man who had finally found something interesting after a lifetime of boredom. The air between them grew heavy, the mist rolling in sluggishly as if it, too, were held in suspense.
"The King said an envoy of the Maiden," Orchid spoke softly. His voice was neither high nor low, just loud enough to be heard. "It turns out the Maiden herself is here."
Dola did not respond. She stood beside Dayat, her blue eyes glowing dimly. Her long white cape billowed in the cold night wind. Her silver hair brushed against her face, obscuring part of her features.
Orchid scanned Dola from head to toe, his gaze methodical. From her silver hair to her crystalline eyes, her white cape to her black bodysuit. He took it all in.
"Is the legendary destroyer of Aethera truly this weak?"
