"You say that, but I get the feeling she hasn't even started being truly evil."
Lucas leaned back, shaking his head. "Okay, so how'd you even survive that?"
Ethan exhaled, leaning back slightly as he rolled his shoulders. "Honestly? She mostly kept it under control. I mean, it was hell, but she didn't completely crush us. She was testing, not outright breaking us. Still, we had to put in a lot of effort just to stay standing."
Carl, ever the observant one, nodded. "Astron was with you, right? How'd he do?"
At that, Ethan's smirk shifted into something more genuine. He rubbed his chin, recalling the session. "Astron…" He let the name hang in the air for a moment before shaking his head with a small laugh. "He handled it damn well. Better than I expected. And honestly? It was probably even harder for him than it was for me."
Julia, who had been watching Ethan carefully, narrowed her eyes. "Really?"
