(Apollo)
The watching demons stiffened.
They felt it before he moved again, that subtle shift in the air when their king went from entertainment to execution. The court’s hunger faltered into caution. Stone seemed to tighten around them. The lava’s restless glow steadied, as if the realm itself leaned back to make room.
A shiver ran through the iron walkways. Demons who had leaned forward for a better view eased back as if the space in front of Apollo had become holy ground and blasphemy at once.
When Apollo moved like this—too fast, too quiet—it was never good. A pressure change rippled through the cavern. A warning, the way beasts sensed storms in their marrow. Even the chained souls stilled, embers dimming as if terrified the flame might remember they existed.
It reminded Apollo of
