Eren stood frozen between impossible choices, while Kaida waited with the infinite patience of a predator who knew her prey had nowhere left to run. Naia, looking small and terrified, whimpered his name from where she was pushed into the chamber.
Kiran, suddenly freed from her restraints, watched with a wicked grin. Her eyes flickered from Naia to Eren, then back again. "Well, Veilwalker," Kiran purred, her voice dripping with malicious satisfaction. "Looks like your luck has finally run out. A sister for a soul, a daughter for power. What a delicious dilemma." She sauntered over to Eren, circling him like a hungry cat. "Come on, then. Don't keep the lady waiting. I'll even escort you."
Kiran nudged Eren roughly toward a different door, one of the many carved into the chamber walls, looking far more intimate and less grand than the main entrance. She didn't wait for him to respond, simply gesturing with a sharp jerk of her chin. "After you, hero."
