By the time she opened her eyes again, the crow-masked man was on the mountain peak with her.
She looked at him from the ground. He stood there, unmoving, waiting for her to stand up.
She did. She looked at the boulder next to him and she looked back at him.
Her voice was dull as she spoke.
"I did it."
"You did," he responded with a nod.
"And for that, I applaud you."
Melania nodded. She didn't really care about any of that.
She had taken on the challenge not for affirmation, but for the rewards she had been promised.
Now that the crow-masked man was back, there was nothing in her mind but the desire to gain those things he promised.
The crow-masked man could sense her impatience.
"First, I will show you who you are."
Damien had preserved Melania's ego for the past two years to make sure that the weight of her actions didn't weigh on her too much.
