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Silence
CHAPTER 56
The tension in the hall had not yet dissipated when Freya moved.
It wasn’t sudden panic.
It wasn’t rage.
It was calculation.
Her eyes hardened, and in that instant, the refined calm she had maintained cracked–just slightly. A surge of force power gathered around her, sharp and controlled, far beyond what most in the hall could muster.
She struck.
The movement was fast, decisive–an elite practitioner’s attack aimed not to kill, but to subdue. The air warped as her force surged toward Adrian, carrying enough power to break bones and crush organs.
But before the attack even fully formed—
Adrian raised a single finger.
There was no explosion.
No dramatic clash.
Just a tap.
The force collapsed.
Freya’s body froze mid–motion, then was hurled sideways like a discarded doll. She smashed into the far wall with a thunderous crack, stone fracturing behind her as her body slid down and collapsed to the floor.
The hall erupted.
“Freya-!” “She attacked first!” “She was blown away with one finger?!”
Freya coughed, blood trickling from the corner of her lips. She tried to rise–failed–and stared at Adrian in
disbelief.
He hadn’t even moved.
Adrian lowered his hand calmly.
“I spared you,” he said evenly, his voice carrying across the hall, “because you’re a woman.”
The words weren’t flirtatious.
They weren’t mocking.
They were absolute.
Freya’s chest tightened. Humiliation burned hotter than pain.
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Adrian’s gaze shifted–not hostile, but distant.
“I was considering helping your father,” he continued. “His sight can still be saved.”
The hall sucked in a collective breath.
Varric Ventress’s eyes widened.
“But now,” Adrian added coldly, “I won’t.”
The temperature in the hall seemed to drop.
“Arrogance,” Adrian said, turning his gaze toward Varric, “is an expensive habit. Your family indulges in it far too freely.”
Varric staggered forward, fury and fear colliding inside him.
“You-” he began.
Adrian didn’t let him finish.
He turned to the crowd.
“President Alistair Renford remains President of the Medical City.”
The declaration rang like a hammer strike.
Anyone who had been wavering froze.
“Those who wish to challenge that decision,” Adrian continued, “may do so–by going through him.”
He glanced at Renford.
“He is loyal,” Adrian said. “And loyalty is rarer than talent. The Medical City doesn’t need another tyrant. It needs stability.”
Renford stood frozen, stunned beyond words.
The elders exchanged looks.
For the first time that night, approval replaced fear.
Varric’s breathing grew erratic.
He gathered his power again, veins bulging, eyes bloodshot-
And then-
His hand froze mid–air.
“АННН-!”
Varric screamed.
Not in rage.
Silence
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In terror.
“Please Also-!” he screamed hoarsely. “Help me!”
The hall descended into chaos.
“Mr Ventress-!” “What’s happening to him?!”
Varric turned his head toward Adrian, desperation obliterating his pride.
“Forgive me!” he shouted. “Please–forget what I said! I was wrong!”
Adrian walked toward him slowly.
Each step echoed like a countdown.
He stopped directly in front of Varric and looked down at him.
“What if,” Adrian said quietly, “I hadn’t been alert?”
The hall stilled.
“What if,” he continued, “your guards had killed me?”
Varric’s lips trembled.
“Would you still be begging?” Adrian asked. “Would you kneel before my corpse and ask for forgiveness?”
Silence.
“I don’t like getting angry,” Adrian said. “But today–you succeeded.”
Varric shook violently.
“I won’t forgive you,” Adrian said calmly.
The words were final.
A sentence.
Adrian straightened.
“But,” he added, “I am still interested in the duel.”
The hall exploded.
“He still wants it?!” “After this?!”
Adrian’s gaze lifted, sharp and focused.
“I don’t enjoy challenging people,” he said. “But after what you said… I want to meet them.”
A faint glint of curiosity entered his eyes.
“I want to see how far the world goes.”
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Silence
The guards surrounding Varric dropped to their knees almost simultaneously.
“Please!” “Spare us!” “We were only following orders!”
Adrian looked at them.
“If I release even one of you,” he said evenly, “all of you will die immediately.”
The guards froze in terror.
Adrian tilted his head.
“Do you want me to release you?”
No one answered.
Not one.
The silence stretched.
Adrian turned away.
“Good,” he said. “Then stay where you are.”
D
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