The dimly lit lair was filled with the stench of burning incense and damp stone. Faint candlelight flickered against the uneven walls, casting eerie shadows over the hooded figures who knelt in silence.
At the center of the chamber, the man who orchestrated everything—who had rewritten the fates of so many—stood in barely contained fury.
His fingers curled into fists as his piercing gaze settled on the hooded subordinate before him. His voice, sharp as a blade, cut through the heavy air.
"You have not kept her under control enough."
A shudder ran through the kneeling figure, though she dared not look up.
"She dared to rebel."
The master's anger was barely restrained, his tone teetering on the edge of something darker—something lethal. The echoes of his words rang in the hollow chamber, a reminder of his disappointment.
He stepped forward, the hem of his dark cloak brushing the stone floor.
