The raw agony of helplessness burned in Aurelia's chest, more painful than any physical wound. Her defiance, however, refused to die.
Even as her body remained suspended in his invisible grip, her eyes blazed with a hatred so pure it seemed to challenge the very darkness of the room.
"I would rather rip my own heart out with my bare hands," she hissed through clenched teeth, each word a struggle against the pressure on her lungs, "than submit to a monster like you."
"I would choose death... I would choose the sweet release of the grave before I let your filthy hands touch me."
"Kill me now, Rex... End this farce and save me from the humiliation."
Rex's head tilted to the side, the stone features of Tremor's Mask catching the dim light.
"Death?" he mused, the distorted voice echoing unnaturally. "Death is too quick, Aurelia."
"Death is an escape. And I have never been fond of letting people escape their obligations."
