Scattered

Watching Ris flee, Velmira kept a radiant smile on her unnervingly beautiful face. Even her eyes glimmered with mirth, though there was no clear reason for such delight.

Karo, meanwhile, did not hesitate—he charged Velmira head-on, appearing outwardly furious but maintaining a razor-focused mind beneath.

"All of you, run!" he bellowed as he closed in. He wanted to buy the others enough time to escape, no matter how little.

"What a noble man you are," Velmira mused, her tone dripping with fascination. "So…beautiful," she added, smiling as though enthralled by some spectacle. Yet Karo sensed a malice in that perfect grin. It was too flawless—almost inhuman.

For a moment, it felt as if time slowed around him, not in any romantic sense, but literally froze. He saw dozens of different faces flicker across her features, each one smiling and then merging back into her own. The effect rattled his senses.