Flames Beneath the Blade
Clara said, "One day your arrogance will kill you."
Victor answered calmly, almost lazily,
"One day perhaps."
Then his voice dropped, quieter, heavier.
"But not before I change this world."
The words did not come like a boast.
They came like a vow.
And that was what shook Clara.
Her purple eyes widened just slightly, but Victor caught it.
He caught everything.
The corridor seemed to grow still around them. The torches along the stone wall hissed softly, shadows swaying across Clara's face as though even the fire reacted to that sentence.
Change this world.
What kind of man said such things so naturally?
What kind of man believed them?
Clara stared at him, unsettled in a way battle had never unsettled her.
Because she knew Victor was not a person who moved without reason.
Every smile hid calculation.
Every provocation concealed intent.
Even his madness seemed structured.
Still… she wanted to know why.
Why he did all this.
