The study had settled into a heavy silence once again, broken only by the soft clinking of glass as Arthur swirled the crimson wine in his hand.
It caught the dim light above, casting red reflections like blood against the crystal.
He didn't drink it, he simply stared into its depths, as if trying to divine answers from its swirling vortex.
Across from him sat Billy, still grappling with the weight of everything that had been said. His throat felt parched, yet he didn't reach for the glass of water before him.
Instead, he focused intently on Arthur, observing how his brother's jaw clenched ever so slightly, a telltale sign of someone wrestling with a memory too potent to ignore.
Then Arthur stirred and looked at Billy with a simple smile. "Do you want to know when I first understood what true power felt like?"
Billy didn't answer; he merely gazed at Arthur, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
