He continued walking closer, ignoring the murmurs rising again around them.
"But I do," he went on, his eyes narrowing slightly. "That move you did… the one that took Lidran down."
He stopped a short distance away, his frown deepening further.
"Isn't it a demonic one?"
The words landed heavily.
Stanley moved again, closing the remaining distance between them until he was standing directly in front of Damien.
Their proximity drew attention, but Stanley didn't care. His focus was absolute, locked entirely on the man before him.
The room seemed to fade away.
Then Stanley leaned in just enough that only Damien could hear him.
"How come you know…" he muttered, his voice low and tense, "a demonic art?"
Damien's eyes widened slightly.
The reaction was subtle, almost imperceptible to anyone watching, but inside, his thoughts churned sharply.
'A demonic art…?' he thought. 'How the hell is that a demonic art?'
