Ben looked at Apophis, his lips curled into a smile. Then… he laughed. It wasn't warm. It wasn't amused. It was cold.
Apophis blinked, just slightly thrown off.
She wasn't expecting that.
"Did it feel good?" Ben asked, his gaze sharp as ice.
"Looking down on me?"
Before she could reply, he stepped forward.
"You're no different than those guidelines. You're just trying to manipulate me into doing what you want."
His voice was calm, but beneath it simmered fury.
"I don't know about the other daemons. But you, Apophis… you need me right now. You need me to free you. And that's going to take more than brute force."
Apophis's smile faded slightly.
Ben kept going.
"You're wasting all this effort on seduction, half-truths, and riddles, not because you care, but because you can't act without me. And don't pretend otherwise. If you could've killed me and waited for the next guy, you would've done it already."
Apophis's laugh returned, this time richer, deeper.
