Dimensional Descent

Leonel's smile didn't fade as their pillars began to tremble once again. The challenge in Lumina's words was clear. It was almost like if he did give his opinion now, he would be admitting that she was right and thus lose out on the round. But if he didn't answer, he would also be proving her right by being the "petty" man she claimed him to be, and thus lose anyway.

The only way forward was to thread the needle and get her to move off of her position. However, Leonel didn't seem to be in a hurry to do so.

"I heard that you two were part of the cohort who attacked my wife?" Leonel suddenly asked.

"Don't try and change the subject," Lumina growled. "Answer the question like you've made everyone else before you do."

Leonel chuckled. "The pillar has yet to give its decision yet, so who are you to decide whether I'm changing the subject or not? You've been doing a lot of talking for others, is your favorite position that of an obedient doggy?"

Lumina's eyes opened wide, her fury almost getting the best of her before she just laughed with a tone filled with mirth and derision.

"You've heard him, everyone. This is the response of a man who has no shred of intelligence of his own. It's ironic you call me a dog when all you know how to do is bark and bite back. Did you miss the part where this was a conversation of intellectuals?"

"Mm, so I guess your answer is that you're mad that the pillar hasn't granted you victory yet?"

Leonel shifted the focus right back to the pillars that were still the process of glowing. He uncaringly stirred the conversation back to the topic he wanted to focus on, and it left Lumina not knowing how to respond for a moment.

you can choose to not answer the question. But I believe that the pillar might take that

and Lumina

that mean that Leonel was trying to force her to confess to her crimes with the

face drained of

full extent of what had happened during the Gathering of Kingdoms. The only projected images were from the

that it was different,

Lumina, the only hope that she could cling to, was the fact

she hang her hat

started off

could people

began to

She was afraid to answer, afraid to admit it, afraid to take the consequences of

on top of that, she was a proud Owlan descendent. It was something she flaunted everywhere she went, and it was something clear by the illusory wings she always used

began to fade and Leonel's

sweat that was making her robes stick to her back. They

Leonel had a silence that he could use on them. If she waited until the last minute, she would never

that Leonel didn't have any evidence, but hadn't

it? If she did, she wouldn't just be implicating herself, but the Owlans. If Minerva was enraged, her family was finished. She could wipe them all out on