"If you cherish that woman, you will come alone. This is my challenge to you. Whether you accept it or not depends on you. But you only have till sundown. If by then you don't show your face, then be prepared to lose her forever."
The messenger finished speaking. A cruel smile spread across his face once more.
"That is all. Our lord... will be waiting."
Reinhardt stood perfectly still. The snow continued to drift through the air, but the world around him felt frozen.
For the first time in a long while, the knights beside him could not tell what he was thinking. The messenger's words had clearly hit something deep, something dangerous. The faint tremor in Reinhardt's eyes had vanished, replaced by a stillness far more frightening.
Drystan glanced at him once, then at the demon messenger. His jaw tightened.
"Commander," he said carefully, "don't tell me..."
But Reinhardt raised a hand, stopping Drystan from saying anything further.
