Oh Sandman~ Bring Me A Dream.

ADELINE REGINA

The two conjurers groaned as they stirred, their bodies sluggish from the aftermath of their defeat.

Tied in chains, their fingers twitched first, then their heads lolled before their eyes flickered open, unfocused and bleary. Their faces scrunched in pain.

Adeline stood before them, silent, waiting.

The moment awareness settled in, their reactions were instant—

"You're making a grave mistake!"

One of them shouted, his voice hoarse, still wrapped in his cloak.

Adeline didn't bother unmasking them. There was no point.

Most conjurers belonged to no house. Orphans, trained or stolen, raised in isolation. Social norms warped them—many of them spoke strangely, detached from human interaction, their words hollow or laced with something almost inhuman.

Threats wouldn't work.

Pain wouldn't work.

But fear—