The crowd collectively took a step back.
"C-Cinder, wait!" Alister quickly reached out, pressing a hand on hers to lower it.
"Calm down."
Cinder pouted. "But they're blocking your path. Aren't the ones that do that usually the bad humans?"
Before Alister could respond, another voice spoke.
It was Mar'Garet.
She had already pulled out her spear and placed its butt on the floor, its deadly tip glinting.
"Humans."
Mar'Garet stepped forward, her presence alone making the air feel heavier. She tilted her head slightly, red eyes gleaming with disdain.
"Cease this pitiful display at once and remove yourselves from my lord's presence."
"You are disturbing him," she continued, her voice slow and deliberate, like she was scolding misbehaving children. "If you wish to admire his magnificence, you may do so from afar. But do not overstep your bounds, else I will teach them to you."
The cold weight of her words settled over them like a suffocating fog.
And then—
Cold sweat.
