The air beneath the canopy of frost stilled.
Above the broken branch carved from the Yggdrasil's spine, Master Hannibal tilted his head back and stared upward.
The hunger in his gaze bled beyond predation as something deeper stirred in his eyes. Recognition. Calculation. A glimmer of joy twisted by the sheen of blood still wet on his lips.
"Well, well," Hannibal's voice slid out like a snake. "You've come, both of you! Welcome!"
Kalysta whimpered in his grip, the side of her face smudged with blood and streaks of Kismet light. Her legs trembled as he held her aloft, hand clutching her ribs like a trophy.
The golden light around him rippled with amusement as he turned his gaze toward Noah.
"One anomaly that has no right wielding the strength she does," Hannibal said, voice drenched in mockery. "Who managed to strike against a Master of Existence. And another…" His eyes slid toward Noah. "Who carries a Key stolen from the Chronosect of Threadbound Folds."
