Fated Destiny (2)

"Should I set you free?"

The words were soft—gentle, even. But they rang louder than thunder.

Janus's heart lurched against his ribs.

Freedom. What an illusionary thing. He had long ago accepted the nature of his existence: a shadow of greatness, a splinter of someone else's will wrapped in a body that looked like his own. What did freedom mean to someone like him?

He didn't answer.

Solomon tilted his head, gaze sharpening like a scalpel. "No response? You're quieter than usual."

Janus finally spoke, voice dry. "Because I know what that means coming from you."

"Oh?" Solomon stepped closer, his presence warping the space around them. "Enlighten me."

"You don't free things. You erase them."

Solomon laughed—not cruelly, but almost fondly, as if Janus had just said something amusingly naïve.

"I see you haven't lost your edge. Good."

Janus's fingers curled slightly, nails digging into his palms.