"I am ruthless?" I clutch onto his ironbound biceps, trying to push him away from me. But he doesn't budge. Not even an inch. "You should see yourself fight, Primus."
His sharp eyes slice into me. "I am who I am. And you are who you are. You must not let anything change that. No trial, no person. Nothing."
His gaze flickers down to my chest, rising to my neck. Then it lingers there for a while.
It's as if he can see it, even though the bruising has long since healed. He stares at my neck like the truth of that ordeal is carved into my skin.
"In my absence, did something happen?"
Too much has happened. What am I to say? Yes, that Rimnick's apparition has returned from the grave itself as an eidolon to torment me, followed by phantom pains that come at whim.
