"I won't personally go after Max before the Ascension Trial," Seraphel continued. He glanced at Kaelzor. "And I won't order the Angel Race to attack him openly either."
Shreya's expression relaxed slightly.
Then Seraphel's smile deepened. "However..."
Cassian's eyes sharpened.
Seraphel slowly raised one finger. "There's one thing I can't guarantee."
The Primordials tensed again.
Seraphel looked toward Max. "Akira."
Ana's expression changed, and Daniel frowned.
Max stayed calm.
"You killed Apaera," Seraphel continued, his voice dropping quieter. "And Apaera wasn't merely one of our assassins. He was Akira's twin brother."
For the first time, a trace of amusement appeared in his eyes. "I think you can imagine what that means."
Cassian's expression turned cold.
"Akira and Apaera were inseparable," Seraphel went on. "They trained together, they killed together, and they survived countless missions together. Now one of them is dead."
