"No way in hell am I letting my best friend walk into that demonic pit. I strictly forbid it!" Clyde announced, holding onto Vyan's arm tightly as if warding off a curse.
"You forbid it?" Vyan shot him a blank stare, not bothering to shake off his eccentric aide.
Althea tilted her head and placed a hand on her hip, amused. "What is your issue with the prestigious Tower of Magic?"
Clyde straightened dramatically, as though he were about to deliver a tragedy. "They work you like a dog. Day in, day out. No breaks. No holidays. You start seeing illusions, Athy. Did you know I was engineering mana circuits in my dreams?"
Both Vyan and Althea groaned, shaking their heads at the dramatics.
Clyde jabbed a finger in the air. "I know you guys don't trust me, but trust me on this! That place drains souls. I swear, by the third month, you forget what sunlight is. Your brain goes numb. You start naming your artifacts like they're your kids."
Althea blinked. "Wait… did you—?"
