"Enough!" her voice rang out, firm, icy, and completely authoritative. She turned around, looking straight at her shadow guard. "You stay right here."
Samuel froze. He looked at her, his posture rigid, his voice dropping into a tone so terrifyingly unyielding it actually caught Heena off guard for a fraction of a second. "Definitely not."
Heena's eyes narrowed, a flash of genuine frustration crossing her face. She stepped closer to the doorway, lowering her voice but sharpening it like a razor. "I am not asking for your permission, guard. I am telling you that 'you' are staying out here, and 'I' am going inside. So just shut up, do your job, and guard the door."
Samuel's entire body violently shuddered. The word 'guard' cut through him like a physical blade. He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white, then purple.
In her mind, the System frantically floated around her head. ''[Host! Host, why are you being so harsh on him? Look at him, he's practically breaking!]''
