Terrius had seen his entire life flash before his eyes.
The flavor assaulted him from every conceivable direction, rousing the peaceful bile sleeping in his stomach. His jaw froze mid-chew. For one horrifying moment, he genuinely wondered if he had just been poisoned.
Across the table, Jade calmly sipped the mushroom soup as though nothing was wrong.
Terrius stared at him in disbelief. How...?
If the meat tasted like this, then the soup had to be even worse.
His gaze slowly drifted toward the steaming bowl before him. It suddenly looked less like dinner and more like a challenge issued by death itself.
He looked at Jade again, sporting an incredulous look on his face. "...Are you—ah!" But something struck his shin beneath the table, cutting off his words. He jerked in surprise.
"Yes?" Jade asked innocently, blinking as though he had done nothing at all. The corner of his lips almost twitched.
