"Haaa... are you done now?"
Nol lay on his back in the middle of the arena, surrounded by stakes crowned with impaled heads. His hands rested over his chest, his eyes were closed, and an impatient expression sat on his face, like that of a child desperate to leave.
A few meters away, another figure sat cross-legged. It looked like a shadow dragged into life, its posture still and composed, as though it were meditating.
"I am merely savoring the souls I was able to collect," the shadow said. "There is no need to rush. That would ruin the enjoyment of their flavor. Though it is a pity these souls were artificially created. It spoils the taste. And the other half are nothing more than puppets in human skin, so I cannot even take them."
Nol opened his eyes and sighed.
"Hmmm? But you're only collecting them, not eating them, right?"
He placed a finger against his cheek and tapped it repeatedly, frowning.
"So why are you lying?"
Silence lingered between them for a few seconds.
