the obsidian proxy
Julian remained frozen, staring at Elias, trapped in the agony of his betrayal. The weight of their history pressed down on the moment like an immovable mountain—every shared memory, every late-night plan, every whispered promise of loyalty now tainted by the knowledge of who had set his ruin in motion. The hatred in his eyes was absolute, a raging fire that no apology could quench, and he was choosing, with every unspoken word, to die on the hill of his integrity rather than accept salvation from the hands of the person who had engineered his downfall.