"Thanks for proving my point."
"Hmph." Lilyanna sniffed, irritation bleeding through her voice even as her hands resumed their steady work. "You should watch your words. You are speaking to the only person who can save you right now."
Quinlan's grin lingered. "I am speaking with the person who will save me."
Her gaze held on him.
"Hmph… Ayame is right. The Primordial Arrogance is unmistakable. You're worse than even Malakar when he was a young boy."
Quinlan did not answer right away.
The tension that had been coiled through his body finally began to loosen as Lilyanna's power settled into a steadier rhythm.
The burning pressure in his chest eased first, then the sharp tearing along his internal pathways dulled into a heavy ache. Each breath came a fraction deeper than the last. The sensation of corruption being stripped away left him hollowed out and sore, but beneath it ran a warmth that stitched him back together piece by piece.
