Zanak stood at the edge of the room, his gaze fixed on Aren. His voice was both cautionary and impatient.
"What are you doing here? Don't you know who that woman is? She's someone deemed worthy of becoming one of the god's children!"
But Aren didn't hear him. Rage had seized his mind; the blood coursing through his veins now flowed for revenge alone. He forced himself to his feet, hissing through clenched teeth:
"I'll kill her... I'll tear her apart!"
The Zanak approached Aren, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down. This is not someone you can handle. Let the prince deal with it!"
But the humanity in Aren's eyes had already vanished. The black crown on his head gleamed, radiating a dark aura. The air around him grew heavy, like a suffocating fog spreading outward. Zanak watched this transformation with growing unease, instinctively stepping back.