"I see," Max murmured, nodding almost absently, his eyes glinting with a sudden, ruthless light as a faint, chilling smile curled his lips. Slowly, his gaze swept around the room, pausing on each face one by one—the wide-eyed bystanders, the watching geniuses, the silent June, the cold Derek, the sneering Scott, even Omar who stood there trembling with fury. Yet not a single person made a move, not one stepped forward to halt what was about to happen.
And as the realization solidified in Max's chest, a sharp laugh broke from him—low and mirthless. 'I think too much,' he thought, bitterness cutting through his amusement like glass. 'To think they would want to stand up for a random kid in the 6th level of Master Rank.'
He shook his head faintly, the cruel curve of his smile deepening as he clenched his fist, the air around him suddenly warping ever so slightly, like heat haze rising from burning sand.
