Ao Di's expression shifted, the change subtle yet unmistakable. Amusement crept into his features, slow and deliberate, as though he had discovered something mildly entertaining in an otherwise dull moment. His molten eyes glowed with a deeper intensity as they settled upon Victor.
"Oh?" he said, his voice carrying a faint echo that seemed to grind against the air itself. "You are the ones who informed us, correct? The ones who traded the secret of this planet for protection?"
Victor remained bowed, his posture rigid, his head lowered in complete submission. He did not dare meet the dragon elder's gaze.
"We are, great elder," Victor replied carefully. "We sought only to align ourselves with power worthy of our loyalty."
A low, rumbling laugh escaped Ao Di. It resembled the sound of massive stones crushing against one another, harsh and unyielding.
"You sold your own kind for survival," Ao Di said. "How quaint."
Victor did not move. "We did what was necessary."
