Cassien slowly stood upright, fixing his posture while the pain gradually simmered away from his side. He looked down toward his abdomen, but there wasn't any actual blood. The wound never truly existed. It was only the sensation, a punishment so realistic his body genuinely believed he had been stabbed.
"Coming…"
His voice stayed calm while his hand slowly reached into his pocket, pulling out the pistol hidden beneath his coat. Just looking at the person standing ahead of him now made his skin crawl.
Cassien raised the gun directly toward him.
'Adam Shrill… your time's up.'
His eyes narrowed coldly.
'I seriously let your illusion magic fool me this badly.'
With his free hand, Cassien pulled out one of his daggers and lightly sliced across his own forearm just to confirm whether what he was seeing remained another illusion. Blood slowly trickled downward. The pain was real. The image before him stayed exactly the same.
Which meant the truth itself was real too.
