A Darker Era
The feeling of a sword piercing his heart returned to him as he remembered the time he spent working under Lilith. It took him countless years to realize that the person, who he thought of as the sole person to care about him, was breaking him.
"Did I break you, or did I break your shell?"
Lilith whispered in his ear as the scenery seemed to freeze. Lex's face was full of sadness, Yuxi looked around them warily, and the dwarves were shouting at them. Everything was frozen in space.
Lilith took small steps away from him before turning to face him. Her face was a blur as if Nikolai's mind refused to see her again. However, he could tell that she was grinning.
"Did I change you, or did I simply reveal what you truly are?"
"I'm not like you," Nikolai gritted his teeth. "I don't enjoy breaking people, nor do I seek their misery."