Suddenly, the old man threw his head back and began to laugh. It wasn't a dry chuckle this time; it was a loud, booming, full-chested laugh that completely shattered the tension in the room. The sheer volume of it easily carried outside the thin walls.
Before Hide could process what was happening, the door violently slid open with a sharp bang.
Enji stepped into the room, his previously laid-back demeanor entirely gone. In his hand was a sleek, wickedly curved dagger pulsing with dense purple mana.
The young man's eyes locked instantly onto the towering dark phantom standing behind his grandfather, and a wave of pure, concentrated malice rolled off him.
"Grandfather!" Enji snarled, glaring at Hide with unfiltered, murderous rage. He dropped his center of gravity, ready to lung across the room and sever Hide's head from his shoulders.
