Francis was in no mood to speak, but Khan's story attracted his attention, diverting his empty gaze from the wall and adding surprise to it. Francis' mouth even hung open in shock at some point, and he never bothered to close it.
"This," Khan revealed, taking out his turtleneck and showing his right shoulder. "This isn't a normal tattoo. A Niqols made it through dangerous arts that risked taking off my shoulder."
"D-does," Francis finally spoke and cleared his throat to continue. "Does it have a meaning?"
"Eternal love," Khan explained, his gaze losing focus when he peeked at the tattoo. "At least in the human language."
Francis found it hard to hide his emotions. Everyone knew Khan's story, but few were aware of its many details. Khan had omitted a lot from his tale but had included the lake's events, which left Francis stunned and captivated.
