"...I don't know the exact mechanics, Villain. When we gave the blade what it demanded, it grew more powerful. And in the case of the sacrifice I orchestrated back then, it could momentarily go beyond its current capabilities."
"A feeding mechanism that grows on sacrifice," Quinlan concluded with a nod.
Alexios spoke without moving his eyes from the blade.
"The concoction your clan brewed for me." His voice went careful. "Was it also fed with..."
Chizuru chuckled, and it was the ugliest sound she'd made all night. "Does it disgust you now, Your Majesty? Knowing what touched the very thing that kept you alive? Yes, we fed you the blood of massacred orphans-"
"Alright, I'm done," Quinlan sighed.
Every speck of mockery left the old woman's face as if it never existed. "Wait-"
"[Subjugation]."
Chizuru's body seized on the spot. The scream that left her was raw and graceless.
"Please, I spoke out of turn, I'll-"
