Inside the domain of the infinite, William stood alone, drawing in breath after breath of nervousness.
He had placed Lia inside the hut and had now come outside in a plain where there was no obstruction to sunlight.
The space around him was empty and silent, which amplified the sound of his breathing. His shoulders rose and fell in a slow rhythm, fingers flexed at his sides as he prepared himself for what was coming.
He had faced pain before, but the sensation of agony never lessened with experience.
"Purchase some painkillers."
The words left his mouth plainly, without bravado. He wasn't even trying to be brave. He just wanted to survive the agony that he expected would come.
Last time he had swallowed true dragon blood, and the pain had been immense; the blood of a veil creature should be less potent than true dragon blood—that was an assumption he made.
After all, true dragons were entities beyond the bounds of this world, and the veil creature's blood was diluted.
