am not afraid.” The god studied me for one last, long beat. “You aren’t, are you?” Before I managed a reply, he reached out and took my thin arm in a powerful grip. His hand was so massive it was able to encircle my forearm entirely. As he squeezed, a heat just short of burning radiated from his palm, searing a path all the way up to my shoulder. As he drew his hand away, black marks like the ones on his skin twisted along my own. He traced a finger down to my wrist, and some of the darkness sank into my body, leaving only a small blot in the shape of a twisted flame, similar to the one most
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