In the dim room where the group of heroes slept, a shadow moved silently.

  Marvell appeared out of the darkness, his footsteps light and deliberate, approaching the soft, silver beam of moonlight pouring in from the window.

  He raised his hands slowly, carefully, observing the sleeping heroes with a calm, watchful gaze, his presence hidden in the quiet veil of night.

  For a moment, all was still.

  Silent.

  Unbroken.

  BOOM!?

  Without warning, the entire room shook violently.

  The explosion thundered through the walls, shaking the floors and jolting Marvell out of his composed stillness.

  The heroes sprang awake, gasping and wide-eyed, their bodies instinctively reacting to the violent tremor.

  Confusion and panic filled the room as they scrambled to understand what had just happened.

  Marvell, staying low, retreated slightly into the deeper shadows, blending into the darkness while the heroes tried to find their bearings.

  "What was that?" Difo said sharply, his voice cutting through the air, filled with alarm as he stared around, trying to make sense of the chaos.

  Damiel’s eyes locked onto the figure near the window — Marvell’s silhouette just barely visible.

  "Who are you?" Damiel demanded, his tone cautious but firm.

  "You don't look like you're from around here..."

  Marvell froze mid-step, a slightly awkward smile creeping onto his face as he realized he had been spotted.

  "Well... I, uh..." he began, chuckling nervously, "I was tasked by the Princess to check on you guys, that’s all..."

  He stopped, trying to appear harmless, but his every muscle tensed, ready for the worst.

  Difo, sharp and suspicious, moved his hand slowly toward a hidden weapon, careful not to draw attention.

  Marvell focused on Damiel, pretending not to notice — but in truth, he saw everything.

  His tail, once faintly lit by the moonlight, now shifted and blended completely into the surrounding darkness, the glowing parts dimming to match the shadows.

  He cursed inwardly.

  Darn it.

  Marvell knew he had to act — and fast.

  With a swift motion, he conjured a spell, whispering the incantation under his breath.

  Blue light gathered in his palm, glowing faintly.

  Without hesitation, he aimed the spell at the confused girl still sitting up in her bed.

  The magic struck gently — and within seconds, she slumped back into the covers, lulled into deep, magical sleep.

  Damiel, seeing the attack, sprang into action.

  He seized his staff with both hands, his body moving with trained reflexes.

  As he charged forward, he swung his staff with precision toward Marvell’s side.

  Marvell, sensing the attack, twisted his body, narrowly dodging the blow.

  "Woah!" he gasped, shocked by how close the strike had come.

  Damiel pressed the assault, swinging again with his right hand, aiming to trap and disable the intruder.

  At the same time, Damiel’s other hand — hidden behind his back — worked swiftly, casting another spell.

  The magic took form, gathering at his fingertips, a searing red glow illuminating the dim room like a warning flame.

  With a sharp motion, Damiel thrust his hand forward, releasing the spell toward Marvell.

  The blazing red energy crackled through the air, lighting up the tension-fueled room.

  Marvell’s eyes widened in shock, his body tensing instinctively as he realized he had mere seconds to react.

  Meanwhile, before the chaos had even begun where Marvell stood, the Princess, her sister Sorvyna, and the rest of their group walked briskly down one of the castle’s wide, torch-lit halls.

  The Princess, walking slightly ahead, glanced over her shoulder toward Angel and asked casually,

  "So..." she began, pausing for a moment to find her words, "uhm... how did Marvell free you, Angel?

  Did I pronounce your name right?" she asked, her gaze curious yet gentle.

  Angel smiled warmly and replied, "Yes, Princess, you pronounced it correctly."

  She hesitated slightly, her cheeks coloring faintly with embarrassment as she added,

  "As for how... well, it’s quite embarrassing, so... yeah.

  Sorry, but I can’t really tell you the full story."

  Angel’s mind drifted back to the memory — how easily Marvell had captured and then freed them — and she cringed internally.

  The Princess chuckled knowingly, her smile widening.

  "I see," she said playfully.

  "I can guess he used one of his dirty little tricks again."

  Hearing this, Angel, remembering how quickly she and her friends had come to trust Marvell, muttered softly under her breath,

  "Idk if it’s really 'dirty' though..."

  She glanced up at the vaulted ceiling, her thoughts swirling.

  Suddenly — BOOM!

  An explosion rocked the castle, a brilliant flash of light tearing across the night sky outside the hall’s long windows.

  The ground trembled beneath their feet.

  The Princess stumbled, losing her balance — but Sorvyna reacted instantly, reaching out and catching her sister with steady hands.

  "Thank you, sis..." the Princess murmured, dazed and wincing from the sudden shock.

  "What just happened?" she gasped, her heart pounding.

  Everyone in the group turned instinctively to the windows, their eyes going wide in awe and fear.

  Outside, dominating the horizon, stood a massive structure — a golden pyramid-shaped block of pure, radiant light.

  Symbols, intricate and ancient, covered its surface — glowing with mystical energy.

  (Not Egyptian symbols — but elegant rune-like carvings, full of ancient dwarven craft and mystery.)

  The structure floated ominously above the mountains, massive and heavy with unseen power.

  The three adventurers stared in disbelief.

  The assassin, wide-eyed, broke the silence.

  "Woah... what is that?" he whispered, amazement and fear mixed in his voice.

  Sorvyna, equally awed, shook her head slowly.

  "I have no idea..." she said, her voice soft with wonder.

  "This is something entirely new to me..."

  The Princess studied the golden construct intently.

  After a long moment, realization flickered in her eyes.

  "The markings..." she murmured.

  "They look like they come from the Dwarven Kingdom... but..."

  Her voice trailed off, confusion clouding her thoughts.

  Angel, still stunned, turned to the Princess politely.

  "I’m sorry, Princess... but what exactly?"

  The Princess frowned deeply, her heart tightening with unease.

  "Something terrible... something we don't understand yet..." she whispered, unable to shake the dread crawling up her spine.

  Just then, the General rushed to their side, armor clanking loudly, his face pale with shock.

  "That... that thing — it looks like it’s from the Dwarven Kingdom!" he reported breathlessly.

  The Princess, Sorvyna, Angel, and the others remained frozen, staring at the towering construct.

  The golden block, after a moment’s stillness, began to shrink rapidly, drawing inward behind the mountains until it vanished from sight.

  A tense silence gripped them all.

  Then it came.

  A colossal explosion — a furious roar — tore through the distant mountains.

  A massive pillar of fire and smoke erupted into the sky, lighting up the night with terrifying brilliance.

  The shockwave hit them moments later — a violent gust of wind slamming through the hall, making the windows rattle and the torches flicker wildly.

  The castle walls groaned under the pressure as ashes and smoke began to drift on the cold wind.

  The General stood there, mouth agape, muttering in disbelief,

  "What the fuck..."

  His voice was hollow with shock as he watched the aftermath — the burning clouds staining the once-clear sky with smoke and ruin.

  The Princess’s face hardened.

  She turned sharply to the General.

  "We don’t have time to stand around!" she commanded.

  "Send a squad of knights immediately to investigate whatever just happened there!"

  The General, jolted out of his daze, saluted sharply and sprinted down the hall without hesitation.

  Angel, still shaken, asked the question lingering in everyone's hearts.

  "What... was that?"

  The others turned toward her, the same question burning in their eyes.

  Sorvyna shook her head slowly.

  "No idea," she said truthfully.

  The Princess exhaled sharply, tension visible in every line of her body.

  "I have a feeling..." she began darkly, "that something terrible has awakened there..."

  But before she could finish her grim thought —

  CRASH!

  Marvell suddenly burst through the wall beside them, the stones shattering around him, dust exploding outward.

  The Princess gasped, her eyes widening in pure shock as the wall exploded inward.

  "What the...?" she breathed, barely able to react in time.

  Through the dust and debris, Marvell stumbled forward, caught mid-fall by Sorvyna’s quick reflexes.

  Seeing him injured, Sorvyna swiftly steadied him, supporting his weight with care.

  Marvell groaned in a half-joking tone,

  "Ow..."

  but then chuckled lightly as he straightened up, moving away from Sorvyna’s arms.

  "Thank you, Sorvy," he said warmly, flashing her a brief, grateful smile.

  Marvell’s sharp eyes immediately locked onto Angel — but before she could react, something unexpected happened.

  Ice, pure and glittering under the moonlight, began to creep from the floor at her feet, snaking up and around her body.

  Angel gasped, frozen in place both literally and in shock.

  Within seconds, the ice fully engulfed her, trapping her in a crystalline prison, her face locked in startled fear behind the frozen walls.

  Marvell’s expression turned deadly serious as Difo and Damiel appeared, stepping through the gaping hole Marvell had been thrown through.

  Their expressions were grim, weapons already at the ready.

  The Princess, quickly understanding the situation — and the ruse — feigned fear perfectly.

  "Who are you?" she cried out, her voice trembling as she pointed at Marvell.

  The adventurers, catching on immediately to her act, stayed silent at first, drawing their weapons and pretending to threaten Marvell.

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  Difo stepped forward confidently, sword resting casually on his shoulder.

  "There’s no need to fear, Princess," he said reassuringly.

  "That demon tried to kill us during our sleep."

  Damiel followed with a grin and a light-hearted tone.

  "Yeah, good thing you responded quickly.

  Or else I'd be a corpse by now," he said, trying to inject humor into the heavy air.

  Marvell’s dragon-like tails slowly lifted behind him, their mouths beginning to glow ominously as energy gathered at their centers.

  A dangerous beam began to form — a deadly, radiant light.

  Marvell spoke calmly, almost conversationally, despite the rising danger.

  "To be honest, I expected you to just sleep while I executed my plan," he said, tilting his head slightly.

  "But I didn’t expect... a sudden change of plans."

  Without warning, one of his tails fired a blazing beam directly at Damiel.

  Damiel reacted swiftly, aiming his staff and unleashing his own beam of pure magic.

  The two forces collided mid-air, clashing violently with a loud, crackling roar — red and blue energies fighting for dominance in the center of the room.

  Meanwhile, Marvell was already preparing another spell, weaving multiple incantations at once, magic swirling at his fingertips.

  Difo, seeing an opening, rushed forward, sword flashing through the air.

  He swung hard, striking Marvell’s arm —

  —but instead of cutting through flesh, the blade stopped at bone.

  Marvell’s skin around the wound froze solid in an instant, sealing the sword in a prison of jagged ice.

  Difo gasped in shock, feeling the chill race up the blade.

  He quickly released his grip, abandoning the sword just before the ice could spread to his hands.

  He retreated, moving back toward Damiel’s side, breathing heavily.

  The Princess, recognizing the urgency, turned and sprinted toward the throne room.

  As she ran, she punched the assassin adventurer hard on the arm, her face a mask of fury.

  The assassin quickly understood the signal and followed without hesitation, the other two adventurers rushing after them.

  Back in the broken hall, Damiel gritted his teeth, casting multiple spells with his free hand, launching blast after blast at Marvell.

  Marvell dodged, flipping to the side as Sorvyna leapt from another angle to assist him.

  Grabbing the sword still lodged in his own frozen wound, Marvell yanked it free and, with a casual flick, hurled it out the shattered window.

  Difo’s mouth fell open in disbelief.

  "Please don’t tell me," Marvell called out with a grin, "that just because you lost your sword, you’re harmless now?"

  Difo smirked, shaking his head confidently.

  "Yeah, but just because I don’t have a sword doesn’t mean I’m harmless," he said, his voice steady and full of determination.

  Marvell laughed, genuine joy sparking in his voice.

  "Great news to hear!" he said, lowering into a loose, ready stance — poised to charge.

  In his mind, however, as he faced the two determined heroes, he grimaced internally.

  Great. Two heroes are awake, and I have to find a way to beat them both. This is bad.

  Worse yet, a painful thought flashed through his mind —

  I can already imagine my money flying away... swallowed by that angry Princess.

  Marvell’s face twisted slightly in visible disappointment as he braced himself for the coming fight.

  Difo, standing serious and focused, gave quick instructions to his friend.

  "Damiel, I’m front — you're back," he said sharply, readying himself for the battle ahead.

  Damiel nodded briskly, moving behind Difo, staff already glowing faintly.

  "Ok, Dif," he replied, steeling himself.

  Meanwhile, Sorvyna stood caught between the lines.

  She glanced first at Marvell — wounded but still stubbornly upright, ready to charge.

  Then she turned her gaze to Difo and Damiel — watching carefully as they took their fighting stances.

  Her heart ached with conflict.

  Sorry, Marvy, she thought quietly.

  Without hesitation, great wings unfurled from Sorvyna’s back, majestic and powerful.

  Marvell’s eyes widened immediately, knowing exactly what she intended.

  Difo and Damiel instinctively stepped back, momentarily shocked by the transformation — even though they knew dragons were allies, seeing someone shift so suddenly into full dragon form was still a jarring sight.

  Outside the castle, in the city's winding streets, the citizens paused.

  They had been murmuring about the strange explosion from the Dwarven Kingdom earlier —

  and now, hearing the sound of crumbling stone and shattered glass, they looked up.

  A few gasped in surprise as Sorvyna, in her full draconic majesty, burst through the ruined castle wall.

  But after a few moments, their shock faded into mild exasperation.

  "Another dragon incident," one merchant muttered, rolling his eyes as he adjusted the fruit on his cart.

  "Typical chaos again," another grumbled, sweeping dust off his front step.

  It wasn’t fear they felt — it was more like: Here we go again.

  In Caeloria, dragons were friends, not foes.

  Still, it didn’t mean sudden destruction was welcome on an otherwise peaceful evening.

  Back inside the castle, Marvell stood frozen for a moment, his face falling dramatically.

  He could almost see his coins growing wings and flying away toward the Princess’s greedy hands.

  There goes another pile of my money, he thought miserably.

  Sorvyna, towering and magnificent, reached out and grabbed Difo and Damiel with her clawed hands before they could react.

  Caught off guard, the two heroes froze, their minds struggling to process the sudden turn.

  Thinking fast, Damiel raised his staff, casting a blinding burst of light directly into Sorvyna’s eyes.

  The dragon recoiled instinctively, her vision clouded by the brilliant glare.

  Damiel seized the moment, weaving a teleportation spell around himself and Difo —

  and in a flash of light, they vanished from Sorvyna’s grip.

  Only to reappear high above the castle, far too high, plummeting toward the ground.

  Difo screamed over the rushing wind,

  "DAMIEL, YOU DIDN'T FULLY LEARN TELEPORTATION MAGIC!"

  Damiel, flailing a little, shouted back,

  "Sorry, Lek! I could only see the sky, not the roof!"

  Difo closed his eyes briefly in resignation.

  "Mati kita..." he muttered grimly, already bracing for the impact.

  From the ruined hall below, Marvell looked upward, spotting the two falling figures silhouetted against the stars.

  He shook his head with a weary sigh.

  "Well... I guess I'm not the only one facing unexpected problems tonight," he muttered dryly.

  Turning back to Sorvyna, he asked,

  "Hey, Sorvy — you alright?"

  Sorvyna, still blinking away the afterimages, rubbed her dragon-clawed hand over her eyes.

  "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, her voice rumbling with her draconic resonance.

  She glanced around, confused.

  "Where are they?"

  Marvell, without even looking, pointed upward.

  Sorvyna’s gaze followed — and she spotted the two small figures hurtling toward the earth.

  "Should we help them?" she asked, frowning.

  Marvell shrugged lazily.

  "Meh. They'll be fine.

  Once they hit the ground, it'll be over — and I can finally go rest.

  And then... pay for all the damage you just caused," he added darkly, his eyes hollowing as he surveyed the devastation.

  Sorvyna winced guiltily, seeing the broken walls and shattered windows.

  Before Marvell could continue complaining, a sudden rain of magical light — like falling stars — cascaded around him.

  He looked up, instantly alert.

  But the two heroes had vanished.

  "Damn it," Marvell cursed under his breath.

  A humming noise behind him made him whirl around —

  just in time to see Damiel reappear from teleportation, already casting a massive spell aimed straight at him.

  Sorvyna gasped in alarm, but Marvell only smirked grimly.

  "Invincibility spell, I suppose," he said dryly.

  "No wonder."

  Moving swiftly, Marvell summoned a giant draconic ice head from his magic, the dragon’s maw forming a brilliant sphere of condensed energy.

  Simultaneously, his own tails and hands launched beams of icy blue magic to meet Damiel’s assault.

  The two forces collided mid-air —

  a blinding explosion of color and sound that shook the castle to its very foundations.

  Still focused, Marvell turned slightly toward Sorvyna.

  "Sorvy, leave this place. I can handle them myself," he said calmly, voice steady despite the raging storm around him.

  Sorvyna hesitated, then nodded.

  "Understood," she answered firmly, her massive wings beating as she rose into the night sky, soaring away from the battlefield.

  Marvell extended his arm fully, multiple spell circles blooming in the air around him.

  He unleashed a barrage of spells, hammering Damiel with relentless attacks.

  Damiel, exhausted and straining, struggled to withstand the onslaught.

  Suddenly —

  Difo appeared behind Marvell —

  silent, fast, precise —

  sword drawn, thrusting it toward Marvell’s exposed back.

  Marvell, still smiling faintly, sensed it a moment too late.

  Meanwhile, in the throne room —

  A loud crash shattered the tense silence.

  Glass rained down in sparkling fragments as Sorvyna, now back in her human form, tumbled through one of the tall windows, landing heavily on the polished stone floor.

  The Princess and the adventurers jumped back in shock, hands reaching instinctively for weapons, before recognizing who it was.

  The Princess, heart pounding, rushed forward without hesitation.

  "Sorvy!" she cried, kneeling beside her fallen sister.

  "Are you okay?" she asked urgently, scanning Sorvyna's condition for any sign of serious injury.

  Sorvyna, smiling warmly despite the crash, sat up slowly.

  "I'm fine," she assured her, her voice calm.

  "Thank you for your care, Selen."

  The Princess — Selen — exhaled deeply, relief flooding her face.

  For a moment, she simply closed her eyes, silently thanking the heavens that Sorvyna was unharmed.

  But then, a darker thought stirred in her mind.

  Opening her eyes again, she asked in a low, cautious voice,

  "And... what about Marv?

  Is he dead?"

  Her tone was careful, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of hope.

  Sorvyna, ever composed, simply shook her head and answered with a normal, untroubled face.

  "No."

  The answer was simple — yet it weighed heavily on Selen’s heart.

  Disappointment swept across the Princess’s face before she could hide it.

  Under her breath, so quiet that even Sorvyna, seated close beside her, couldn't hear, Selen whispered,

  "I wish he was dead..."

  The words dissolved into the air, unheard and unanswered, leaving only the lingering complexity of a heart caught between duty, anger, and something far more complicated.

  Meanwhile, back in the freezing mist of the shattered hall —

  Marvell, propelled backward by Damiel’s magic, skidded across the ground but recovered swiftly, landing on one knee.

  He summoned a new weapon into his hands — a staff carved entirely from glistening ice, crowned at its head by a savage wolf skull.

  Without hesitation, Marvell swung the staff in a vicious arc at Damiel.

  But Difo, reacting instantly, lunged between them, his hands glowing with magical enchantments, intercepting the blow mid-air.

  The clash of power cracked through the mist like thunder.

  Seeing the advantage, Marvell raised his icy staff high and swept it backward in a wide arc —

  then snapped it forward, unleashing a freezing mist that blanketed the entire hall with biting cold.

  The thick fog swallowed both Difo and Damiel, blinding them instantly.

  The cold gnawed at their skin, distorting sound and vision alike.

  Difo and Damiel were separated by the spreading mist, each lost within a shifting maze of white.

  Marvell moved through the cold fog like a ghost.

  To him, the mist was no obstacle —

  he saw clearly where his enemies could not.

  His three draconic tails opened wide, breathing thick waves of freezing vapor into the air, making the mist even denser, almost solid.

  Within the blinding cold, Difo closed his eyes.

  He dropped into a calm battle stance, trusting his ears over his eyes, listening intently to every faint sound.

  A footstep.

  Another.

  Faster now, heavier, closer—

  Difo opened his eyes and reacted instantly.

  He thrust his hand into the mist — and seized something solid.

  He yanked it forward — only to freeze in horror.

  In his grasp was the severed, frozen head of a knight, still clinging to part of its shattered spine.

  Before he could even cry out —

  A surge of freezing magic pulsed through the grim relic.

  The frost spread across Difo’s arm, climbing rapidly up his body, engulfing him entirely in mere seconds.

  Trapped within the ice, Difo’s eyes still moved — wide with shock, helpless.

  Marvell emerged silently from the mist, stepping up to the frozen Difo like a hunter inspecting his kill.

  He rested one hand lightly on Difo’s icy shoulder, peering into his frozen, still-conscious eyes.

  He whispered softly, his breath misting in the cold air,

  "One free. Now there’s only one remaining shackled hero..."

  Behind him, the three draconic tails curled and smiled in agreement.

  Marvell's sharp ears twitched.

  From within the mist, he caught it —

  the faint, urgent cadence of a spell being cast.

  His eyes narrowed immediately.

  He recognized the spell — powerful, fast —

  But it was already too late.

  A brilliant blast of energy ripped through the mist, roaring toward him.

  Marvell’s tails moved instinctively, whipping around to shield his back, their mouths wide open to absorb the worst of the attack.

  The force of the explosion struck —

  the blast lifted Marvell from his feet, hurling him backward through the shattered hall.

  Wall after wall crumbled as he was flung like a ragdoll, crashing through stone and marble —

  until finally, he was hurled clear outside the castle itself, disappearing into the night.

  Damiel rushed forward as fast as he could, weaving through the dense mist, his heart pounding.

  Ahead of him, Difo stood trapped — frozen solid within a crystalline prison of ice, utterly motionless.

  Damiel skidded to a halt before him, scanning the strange, unnatural frost.

  His mind raced as he studied it, trying to find a weak point.

  "Gimana sekarang... membebaskanmu, Dif..." he muttered under his breath, frustration rising

  Difo’s eyes, still moving beneath the frozen surface, shifted —

  not toward Damiel, but toward something else.

  Something beyond.

  Damiel caught the subtle movement and frowned.

  "Apa yang kau lihatin?" he asked warily, following Difo’s frozen gaze.

  He turned around —

  and his breath caught in his throat.

  In the distance, where Marvell had been thrown, multiple lights were rising into the night sky, glowing ominously like falling stars reversing course.

  An eerie shimmer began to fill the ruined halls.

  Realizing what was coming, Damiel acted without hesitation.

  He gripped his staff tightly, spinning it rapidly —

  and just in time, as a barrage of brilliant beams of magic hurtled toward him.

  The spinning staff deflected the oncoming blasts, scattering sparks and magical energy across the mist-filled chamber.

  Even as he defended himself, Damiel sensed it —

  something else was watching him.

  Something close.

  His instincts screamed a warning.

  He lifted his gaze upward —

  —and there, on the ceiling, staring down at him—

  a draconic skull made of glistening ice.

  Its hollow eyesockets locked onto him with cold, malevolent hunger.

  Without hesitation, Damiel shifted his stance, raising his free hand and casting a powerful bolt of magic.

  The blast struck the creature directly, shattering it into icy fragments that rained down like deadly snow.

  Still on full alert, Damiel scanned the rafters, seeking any other lurking threats.

  But it was already too late.

  From the fog, ice surged toward him.

  It wrapped around his legs, up his body, like living serpents of frost.

  Marvell materialized from the mist behind him, one hand pressing down firmly onto Damiel’s head.

  At the same time, Marvell’s three tails — each ending in a savage draconic ice-skull — struck like snakes.

  One bit into Damiel’s arm,

  another into his leg,

  the third into his stomach.

  Wherever they touched, freezing magic surged.

  Ice raced outward from the points of contact, engulfing Damiel’s body in seconds.

  He had no chance to resist.

  Frozen solid, he joined Difo — trapped in a crystalline tomb of defeat.

  Marvell staggered back, breathing heavily.

  At last, the battle was over.

  "Finally..." he muttered, his voice exhausted, his limbs trembling.

  He collapsed backward onto the shattered floor, falling heavily.

  His tails yelped slightly in surprise, the sudden movement catching even them off guard.

  Marvell lay there for a moment, staring up at the cracked and mist-filled ceiling, letting out a long, tired sigh.

  "I can finally rest..." he said quietly.

  "Hopefully this thing isn't happening a second time..."

  He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, allowing himself a brief, hard-earned moment of peace.

  Marvell lay flat on his back, breathing slowly, letting the silence of the broken hall wash over him.

  But rest was never truly granted.

  He stirred —

  his head turning slightly, eyes drifting across the frost-laced ground.

  And there, in his line of sight —

  Difo and Damiel.

  Both heroes frozen in time, encased in his unforgiving ice.

  Silent. Motionless.

  Trapped within his magic.

  Helpless before him.

  A slow smile tugged at the corners of Marvell’s lips —

  not one of cruelty, but of exhaustion, satisfaction... and a touch of irony.

  "Now for the best part," he murmured softly, his voice dry and hoarse.

  His gaze lingered on the captured heroes —

  warriors once thought invincible, now nothing more than prisoners beneath his cold magic.