Valkun: The scene opened with him throwing Alces right back into his cage after beating him up, "Quit your fucking whining!" He punched the cage as Alces stumbled to his knees.
Alces: "W-why are you doing this...You already know that I know nothing..." He spat out blood, wiping his mouth off.
Valkun: "Because I need something to beat up other than my own warriors, but mostly because I fucking can. Fear is what causes the most control. When this is all over, I need to ensure that you don't try anything." He stood up, but he quickly grabbed his head, stumbling to the side. "Fuck!"
????: The black, shadowy figure formed before him, the force of his energy knocking Valkun to his knees, "Why do you waste time, you arrogant child?"
Valkun: He jolted to his feet, rage burning in his eyes, "SHUT UP! I don't owe you ANYTHING, I have gained fucking plenty without YOU!"
????: The shadow loomed closer, its form stretching unnaturally along the cavern walls, its voice calm where Valkun was feral. "And yet you still bleed when I speak. You still stagger when I arrive. That alone tells me how much you owe."
Valkun: He snarled, flames bursting along his shoulders in violent pulses. "I built this empire myself! I bent worlds to my will! You didn't raise me, you didn't fight for me, you didn't suffer for me!"
????: A single, unseen pressure crushed down on Valkun's chest, forcing him to one knee again. The stone beneath him cracked. "No. You merely inherited the conditions I allowed to exist. I warn you of a great threat, a being capable of toppling your entire empire down in a single blow, and you sit here, sending others to do your own work. A weak king, a pretender, that is what you are."
The pressure did not relent. If anything, it deepened, forcing Valkun's breath from his lungs in a sharp, burning gasp. The flames around his body sputtered, struggling to hold shape under the weight of the presence bearing down on him. "You posture behind fire and fear, yet refuse to step into the path of true consequence. You send assassins. You cage broken men. You wait." The unseen force shifted, grinding Valkun lower. "A ruler does not wait."
Valkun: His teeth ground together as he forced one hand against the fractured stone, molten cracks spreading from his palm. "I do not need to rush. Everything burns eventually."
????: A low, humorless sound echoed through the chamber, something between a sigh and a warning. "That is precisely why you will fail." The pressure eased just enough for Valkun to breathe, but not to rise. "The being I speak of does not erode. It does not collapse under time or terror. It advances. While you rage, it prepares. While you punish, it grows."
Valkun: He lifted his head, eyes blazing with fury and something dangerously close to uncertainty. "Then say its name."
????: There was a pause. A heavy one. The presence withdrew slightly, its voice colder now. "Names grant focus. Focus grants resistance. You are not ready for that."
Valkun: The pressure vanished in an instant. He slammed a fist into the ground, coughing as fire roared back around him while he forced himself to his feet.
????: "Know this. When your empire finally cracks, it will not be because of rebellion or betrayal." The shadows began to peel away, dissolving into nothing. "It will be because you mistook cruelty for strength."
Valkun: The chamber fell silent once more, the heat of the magma world pressing in as if nothing had been there at all. He stood alone, chest heaving, staring at the fractured stone beneath him.
Alces: He stared at Valkun, "What the hell was that..."
Valkun: He looked over at him for a moment before standing up, "DARUMITH! WE WORK WITH THE ASSASSIN, GET ME ZILARI!"