The cold ebony rested tight in his hand, its tip pointing towards you like the gaze of a predator. His eyes were different today. An ache flickering within the ink pools, a fleeting emotion he desperately tried to bury. You had caught a glimpse of it, a fleeting glimpse of the man he desperately tried not to be.

— Your affections are inconvenient.

The words tasted like ash in his mouth, bitter and unpleasant, much like the spell that coiled and danced on the tip of his tongue, threatening to roll out.

He knew this was necessary. Ambition demanded it. His paramour. A relentless, insatiable creature; always hungry for more, always pushing for more. She demanded sacrifices, and he, bound to her service, could only obey. It was you now. His beautiful, beautiful weakness that had consumed years of his progress, leaving him dangerously behind schedule.

— This is for the best. You would not understand. You would only fear.