Cain did not believe the Ancient One was bluffing. He knew, with absolute certainty, that facing such a monster meant risking true death—the kind from which even a True Name might not return. Yet there was no path in which he would accept becoming someone's slave. For someone like him, submission was simply impossible.
Seeing the cold resolve burning in the eyes of the Scarlet King, the Ancient One's killing intent exploded outward. His grip tightened, shadows thickening around his hand as countless eyes began to open within the darkness, writhing and shifting with malicious purpose.
Just as shadowy tendrils lined with those eyes were about to pierce Cain's head, a golden projectile flashed from the distance.
It moved so fast and so silently that the Ancient One only sensed it when it was already upon him.
