Luca stood between the two sides — seven dwarven elders braced like a mountain wall, and his master, the Tower Master, standing alone yet radiating the kind of quiet power that could crush mountains.
He exhaled, steadying himself.
Master," Luca said, voice steady but respectful, "if you enter the territory with your powers sealed, the dwarves will have no reason to fear your presence."
The Tower Master didn't even blink.
"No."
It wasn't harsh.
It wasn't angry.
Just a flat refusal, delivered with her usual elegance — like she were declining an unnecessary formality.
But the tiniest motion betrayed her.
Her fingers paused for half a heartbeat before folding together again, her eyes shifting minutely away from him, as though avoiding a memory.
Luca noticed — and his brows knit slightly.
Why… that reaction?
"Master, it's only temporary," he tried again, voice lower. "Just until you see Selena."
Her head tilted, veil brushing lightly against her collarbone.
