The silence in the room stretched taut, punctuated only by the soft hum of the power orb now resting innocuously on the table. The elf, her green eyes narrowed in concentration, stared intensely at Silax.
Silax, ever the master of composure, remained impassive. He held her gaze unflinchingly, a subtle challenge simmering beneath the surface.
The other two elves, their earlier flippancy replaced by a wary respect, exchanged a silent conversation with their eyes.
Silax's unorthodox power signature had thrown a wrench into their routine assessment. They had never encountered someone like him before, someone who wielded sorcery that resonated so differently from their own refined elven arts.
While the existence of such arts wasn't entirely unknown, in-depth knowledge about them was. This was precisely the gamble Silax had taken. He was confident that the chances of anyone in this room being able to verify his claim were slim to none.
