The moment Aeliana heard Marcus's words, her stomach twisted.
She stared at him, disgust clear in her eyes.
"You've gone insane, Marcus," she said quietly. "Have you completely lost your humanity? To try and experiment with something like that on normal people…"
Her fingers tightened around the chains.
"I don't believe you're doing this just for power. What is your end goal in all this?"
Marcus fell silent.
For several seconds, he didn't speak at all. His gaze drifted away from her, as if he were staring at something only he could see.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low.
"In life, I've learned that only if you have power do you truly control your fate."
He raised his eyes to meet Aeliana's.
"Then what about those hypocritical gods," he continued, "who give you hope… only to shatter it?"
Aeliana frowned.
"What hope?"
