'You can hide, but we both know it won't be for long,' he thought coldly.
"Understood, Master!" Amaya replied. Her smoky, shadowy form rippled outward, shaping itself into a swirling gateway.
Castan stepped through it and reappeared in his throne room.
The female elf was still there, kneeling, her forehead bowed low to the marble floor.
"I've ordered my beast to remain on the hill. Any outsider she captures will be brought to you for questioning. If they fail to give useful answers—kill them," Castan said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
To him, life held no sanctity—it was simply something to use or discard.
"Understood, my lord," the elf answered. She rose slowly, her head still bowed as she silently exited the grand throne room.
Castan sank back into his throne, his golden robes settling like silk against the carved obsidian.
His eyes narrowed, casting a cold glance in the direction of the distant hill.
'Alexa… if I catch you this time, there will be no escape.
