The forest was frozen.
The hammer that had been poised above Aira’s neck now hovered midair, suspended by the sheer audacity of that lazy, drawling voice.
All eyes lifted.
And there he was—sprawled across the branch like a man without a care in the world, one hand pillowing his head, the other idly plucking a leaf from the tree.
The Sloth Leader.
Gasps rippled through the camp. His very presence was an insult—calm, careless, as though he’d been watching the entire spectacle without once considering it worth interfering in.
Lust’s lips twisted into a snarl.
Lust Leader: “You… You're not trying to get in my way like last time, are you?”
Sloth yawned, not even looking directly at her.
Sloth Leader: “Sighs? That sounds like effort. I climbed. Took a nap. Woke up to you screeching.”
A
