Malik stood before Alex like a phantom carved from volcanic shadow, his ember-lit cracks pulsing with quiet menace.
His very presence bent the air like heat rising off asphalt—except it was more heavier, more suffocating.
It pushed down on the room like gravity had doubled.
Grugrim and Sylen stood off to the side, eyes wide, tension coiled in their shoulders like they were expecting the chamber to explode any second.
But Alex, who stood at the center of all that pressure, had a confident look on his face, smiling smugly.
It wasn't arrogance.
Just certainty.
Certain he could take Malik on… and win.
This made him curious.
Excited, even.
Especially after the discovery he had just made, which would only be revealed when he battles with Malik,
Malik's crimson eyes narrowed the moment he saw Alex grin.
A faint frown tugged at the demon's lips.
His voice came cold. Curious.
"Why are you smiling?"
Alex didn't answer.
