"Thank you for your praise, Uncle," Sylvaris said with a smirk. "But I can't accept it until I actually pull it off. Once I've cleared the trial, then you can praise me all you want. Hell, maybe even gift me a beauty or two from your family. Hahaha!"
His voice was teasing, light — but it carried that same commanding weight that made even jokes sound like declarations. The kind of tone that made women blush and men feel like they were being challenged.
Darian burst out laughing, the sound so thunderous it rattled the room — a booming echo like thunder cracking through the walls. "HAHAHA! WELL SAID! WELL SAID!" he bellowed, his hand slamming into Sylvaris's shoulder with the weight of a warhammer.
Once. Twice. A third time. Each strike sent a ripple of force through Sylvaris's body, strong enough to shake the bones of a lesser man. And while Sylvaris could take a club to the chest without flinching, this wasn't a man. This was a creature. A tank of a beast in human skin.
