Aleric's face went through several colors. "What? You're supposed to be helping me! You promised—"
"I promised nothing to garbage like you," the entity interrupted, its attention shifting to Aleric with such devastating focus that he actually whimpered. "You're less than bacteria. A cosmic joke. The only reason you're still breathing is because killing you would stain my essence with your worthlessness."
Despite her situation, despite being pinned by cosmic forces, Tessa actually laughed. The entity's insults were so beautifully vicious, so perfectly calibrated to destroy Aleric's ego, that she couldn't help herself.
"You should thank me," the entity continued, its attention returning to Tessa, "that I didn't want an enraged Prince after my life. Otherwise, you'd be experiencing significantly more... discomfort."
Tessa managed to lift her head despite the crushing weight. "Prince?" she spat. "What Prince? The only Prince I know would burn you to ash for this."
