Ila bent low, her hand gripping Syn's jaw, her nails digging into his skin as she forced his gaze to meet hers.
Her teal eyes were a tempest, far outstripping his defiant glare.
"Why do you care so much about the people from the Backdrop?" she hissed, her voice a blade, sharp and probing, her breath hot against his face.
Syn's jaw tightened, his hazel eyes burning with resolve. "I have told this many times, Ila. It's because they're human. They're not tools or trash—they're people, fighting to survive in a world you and your Kingdom designed to crush them. I care because I was one of them, and I know what it's like to have nothing but hope and grit to keep you alive."
Ila's lips curled into a cruel smile, and she released his jaw, only to grab his collar, yanking him closer until their faces were inches apart.
The face that once softened with love in their stolen moments in the Scenery Biome was now a mask of fury, her teal eyes glinting with venom.
