Sylvara—Shadow's true name, finally revealed—sobbed openly now, tears streaming down her face in rivers. Her hands trembled as she pulled out a ceremonial dagger from within her robes, the blade carved with runes that glowed faintly with power.
"I wanted..." she choked out between sobs, her voice breaking with emotion. "I wanted you to call me by my name just once. To acknowledge me as your daughter rather than just another disappointment. To show even a fraction of the love that Mother had for you despite knowing what you were. But you're still the same. Still the monster who can't feel anything. Still the heartless bastard you always were."
"Then stop crying about it and finish the job!" Merc Assault snarled with what remained of his strength, his voice growing weaker but no less cruel. "Or are you too pathetic and weak to take revenge on your helpless father? Is Silviana's daughter really such a—"
