The Empress's gaze, calm and cold, settled on Daniel and Eva.
Not like a human's gaze. Not even like a hunter looking at prey.
This gaze… was like something beyond comprehension, examining a flaw in the fabric of existence. And Daniel? Every part of him felt like he was no longer himself.
He was just a "thing." Something now under a microscope in front of that woman.
The Empress paused for a moment. Her eyes locked onto Daniel.
"Fallen one…?" she murmured, softly and almost in wonder.
For the first time in centuries, her frozen eyes opened just a bit wider.
She raised her hand. The air trembled. Strange currents of unknown energy twisted between her fingers, and then a small mark of light formed — alien and complex, shaped like a broken ring with inward blades that looked like they were consuming themselves.