The heavy door to Elder Shen's chambers slammed shut, sending ripples through the ancient floorboards beneath Lin Tian's feet.
He remained frozen, tracing the whorls in the wood grain with unfocused eyes. One. Two. Three. Each heartbeat echoed in his ears. The Elder's aura clung to his skin like frost on glass, refusing to dissipate.
His first step sent him lurching sideways.
The curse tore from his throat, raw and unbidden.
His palm slapped against white stone, fingers splaying. The perfect poise he'd maintained, his shoulders squared, chin lifted, voice crumbled. Air raked through his lungs in broken shards. His left hand betrayed him, the leather bracer rattling against trembling flesh.
Control tested too severely will shatter, Elder Shen's words echoed.
"I didn't shatter," he rasped to the shadows. "Not yet."
