[Realm: Álfheimr]
[Location: The Deathless Fortress]
Ivan looked at Ella, her dismissive words landing sharper than he expected. He hadn't walked into this conversation expecting kindness—Ella's attitude alone warned against that—but hearing such outright indifference still made something inside him twist uncomfortably. It wasn't cruelty she spoke with. It was worse—complete, unshakable certainty. A certainty that left no room for disagreement, no crack where empathy might slip through.
He could have stayed quiet. Maybe he should have. But the picture of the people still outside—terrified prisoners, wounded guards, desperate survivors scrambling away from the Deseruit Beasts—kept forcing itself into his mind, refusing to let him stand still.
