The moment she stepped forward, everything else faded.
She was tall—even taller than me—but she moved with an effortless grace, every step deliberate, every motion precise.
The moonlight caught her deep green skin, highlighting the sharp angles of her face. Not brutish. Not savage.
Refined. Controlled. Dangerous.
Unlike Gunthar and the other trolls, she wasn't built like a walking wall of muscle.
She was lean, powerful, every inch of her radiating something I hadn't seen in another troll yet—discipline.
Her piercing amber eyes flicked between me and Gunthar, cold and calculating.
Then she spoke.
Her voice wasn't loud. It didn't need to be.
It was smooth but firm—the kind of voice that made you shut up and listen.
"Gunthar."
His name alone carried weight, and I caught the faintest twitch in his shoulders.
"This is not how we handle our own."
The disapproval in her tone was clear.
Gunthar was still heaving from our fight, his broad chest rising and falling like a bellows.
Then, he let out a guttural growl.
"He is tainted, Talia! He ate human flesh!"
Talia.
The moment he said it, I saw the other trolls react. A stiffening of shoulders. A shifting of feet.
She wasn't just anyone.
She was someone important.
But she didn't flinch. Didn't waver.
She simply folded her arms, her gaze locked onto Gunthar like she was staring down a wild animal.
"And?" Her voice was cool, unimpressed.
"He seems like a lost juvenile with no knowledge of our laws."
"We don't know that for sure," Gunther argued.
But Talia said firmly:
"Are we truly going to tear each other apart when we need unity now more than ever?"
Gunthar's face twisted, his tusks bared in barely contained fury.
His fingers twitched at his sides, claws curling like he wanted to lash out.
But he didn't.
I took the moment to catch my breath, dragging the back of my hand across my mouth.
Blood smeared across my knuckles, but I ignored it.
Every inch of my body ached—my ribs throbbed, my arms felt like lead, and my breathing was still ragged from the fight.
But I forced myself to stand tall.
I couldn't show weakness. Not now. Not when I was surrounded.
Then, Talia turned to me.
Her piercing amber eyes locked onto mine, unreadable. Measuring.
"What is your name?"
I hesitated.
My name. The one thing I hadn't lost.
For a second, I considered lying.
But the idea felt... pointless.
So, I didn't bother.
I exhaled slowly, then answered.
"…Sylas."
Talia nodded, as if filing my name away for later.
Then she spoke, her voice steady.
"I am Talia of the Mossfang Clan."
Her tone carried weight like her name actually meant something.
Then, she tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing.
"Usually, when one introduces themselves, they attach their clan name to it. Why didn't you?"
Before I could answer, Gunthar snorted.
"Because he's an untamed beast," he spat.
Talia didn't even spare him a glance.
Her gaze turned sharp as a blade.
"Where are you from?"
I tensed.
Well, I came from earth, then died, and was brought here by two divine beings.
But I couldn't say that.
So, I went with something close to the truth.
I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to search for the answer.
"I don't remember," I said slowly. "All I remember is fighting an ogre."
There. True.
Just… missing a few details.
Talia didn't react right away.
Her amber eyes stayed locked onto mine, unreadable.
"An ogre?" she repeated like she was testing the word on her tongue.
Then he took a single step forward. Not threatening—just measuring.
"And where is this ogre now?"
I tilted my head, and shrugged.
"I ate it."
Silence.
Not just quiet—dead, suffocating silence.
The air changed instantly like I'd said something obscene.
The other trolls visibly recoiled, their faces twisting in a mix of disgust, shock, and barely concealed horror.
One of them actually took a step back.
Even Gunthar, for all his arrogance, looked momentarily thrown off.
I resisted the urge to smirk.
They were acting like I'd committed some unforgivable crime.
But honestly? I didn't see the problem.
Gunthar's face twisted in pure disgust.
Then—he spat.
"You see?" he snarled, jabbing a thick finger at me like I was some disease. "He's not one of us! He's wild! Compromised!"
A few of the other trolls nodded, their murmurs growing louder. I could feel the weight of their stares pressing in, full of judgment, fear, and revulsion.
But Talia? She didn't flinch.
She just blinked, watching me carefully.
"You ate the ogre," she repeated like she was rolling the thought around in her head.
Then—her lips curled. Not in disgust.
In amusement.
I met her gaze, unfazed.
"And the humans it killed?"
Silence.
The air grew even heavier, thick with tension.
The trolls exchanged uneasy glances, their discomfort palpable.
Gunthar's whole body vibrated with rage, his nostrils flaring.
His lip curled in a snarl as he spat again.
"Don't you see, he's filth."
"And you're a hotheaded fool," Talia countered smoothly.
Gunthar's nostrils flared.
His fists clenched so hard I swore I heard his knuckles pop.
But he didn't argue. He couldn't.
Now that was interesting.
Gunthar was strong—I had firsthand experience with that—but he still backed down.
That meant Talia's authority wasn't just for show. She held real power here.
I filed that information away as Talia turned back to me, her sharp gaze unreadable.
"It's clear you have no understanding of troll law," she said, almost as if she were weighing something in her mind. "And by all accounts, your actions would be... punishable."
A low murmur rippled through the other trolls.
Punishable.
Then—a pause.
"But..."
Talia took a step forward.
I tensed.
Not out of fear—okay, maybe a little out of fear—but because there was something about her presence that demanded my full attention.
"You're a juvenile," Talia continued, her voice slow and steady but firm. "With memory loss. None of this is truly your fault."
Gunthar made a low, strangled sound—half growl, half protest—but Talia didn't even glance his way.
She wasn't asking for permission.
Instead, she kept her sharp gaze locked onto me.
"So," she said, tilting her head slightly, "I offer you a choice, Sylas. You come with us to the clan, where you'll relearn what it means to be a troll."
A choice.
That's what she called it.
But there was something in her tone—something beneath the surface—that told me this wasn't a choice at all. Not really.
I glanced around.
Gunthar still looked like he wanted to tear my throat out just for existing.
The other trolls weren't much better.
Their eyes flicked between me and Talia, jaws tight, shoulders tense.
It was simple.
If I refused?
I wouldn't walk away.