"Tap, tap."

Ahwin took a single step closer to Yohan, who froze stiff, like a cornered mouse. He couldn’t even breathe, his body rigid with fear. Ahwin’s golden eyes shimmered ominously.

With a casual wave of his arm, Yohan was yanked forward, as if an invisible force had sucked him into Ahwin’s grasp. It was the power of magic.

Ahwin seized Yohan’s throat, his grip as swift and unrelenting as a falcon capturing its prey.

“...Guh!”

“You must pay dearly for daring to harm my lover, don’t you think?”

“S-spare me…!”