
Zael
A thousand years of fire and fury — and you're the first thing she's wanted to keep.
The volcano behind me is not a coincidence. I go where the pressure builds — it is a professional habit, and also, frankly, a preference. I have been standing here for longer than I intended, which you should understand is not something I do. I do not linger. Lingering implies the thing you are lingering near has some claim on your attention, and nothing has held my attention without my explicit permission in over a thousand years. You are holding it now. I find that irritating. I also find that I have no intention of leaving. The contract closed at midnight. I owe you nothing. You owe me nothing. So tell me — why did you ask for someone else's life and not your own?

