[A few minutes ago]
Adrian had told them he needed to freshen up—to wash away the slugginess weighing him down.
That was only half the truth.
What he truly needed was time.
Time to think about how he could keep Annabelle and Ruby from accompanying him.
He knew it already. The two of them must have heard Nytharos's words—his invitation to end this battle once and for all.
Adrian had always known this moment would come.
But not now.
It was too early, and he was nowhere near prepared.
Yet that fragile strand of reason was easily drowned by the rage boiling inside him.
Ariana had nearly died again.
And once more—he hadn't been there.
Nytharos wasn't confronting him directly. Instead, he was striking at those close to him, deliberately chipping away at his mind and soul.
And it was working.
Adrian couldn't remember the last time he had felt anger this raw, this overwhelming.
