Evaline:
I tilted my head slightly, forcing my breathing to remain steady despite the way my wrists throbbed against the restraints. The silver bit into my skin every time I shifted, but I didn't let it show... not fully.
Instead, I let a small, almost mocking smile touch my lips.
"Maybe," I said slowly, watching him carefully, "we already eliminated it."
For a split second, I waited.
I wanted to see it - the flicker of panic, the tightening of his jaw, the collapse of that smug confidence he wore like a second skin.
But it never came.
The smirk stayed. If anything, it deepened.
A soft chuckle slipped past his lips, low and amused, like I had just told him a particularly entertaining joke.
"You?" he murmured, inching closer. "Eliminate the ancient soul?"
His gaze sharpened, locking onto mine with an intensity that made my stomach twist.
"You wouldn't dare."
