Rose and Rivera both gasped, their eyes wide with raw disbelief. Neither of them was able to comprehend the large extent of the punishment just pronounced by Lord Carmina. It was too much - far too heavy. The air around them felt like it had frozen into cold, hard concrete, the weight of that one decree settling into their very bones. Rivera's heart skipped a beat at the pronouncement, while Rose's breath hitched in her throat, the shock coursing through her whole body.
"What? Twenty levels?" Rose's voice broke as those words escaped her mouth. She lunged forward, driven instinctively rather than through thought. Her hands stretched out towards the dragon, as if a physical gesture could somehow ward off that terrible judgment from her husband. "Lord Carmina, please, reconsider. The punishment is too much, please." Desperation coated each word, trembling like a candle in a storm.
