Another wave of invaders... He felt how they appeared again.

The girl looked around with fear... He couldn't help but smile bitterly at that sight. Another one bites the dust, he thought. Her expression made him feel amused in a way he didn't understand himself. It was strange how people could be so helpless against fate... or perhaps they were just too arrogant to accept their own mortality? He shook his head slightly, wondering if there would ever come a time when these invaders would finally learn.

Perhaps not in this lifetime...

Her innocent gesture made him chuckle softly. "Ah, dear girl," he murmured under his breath, "if only you knew what awaits you..." He stepped out of the shadows, his movements almost flowing like water as he approached her. There was no pity in his eyes, only curiosity and the need to end this game quickly. She would die today, as so many others had before her... but at least she wouldn't suffer for long. "Well," he said quietly, standing just beside her now, "here we are again."

His lips curled into a mocking smile. "Oh, really?" he murmured, leaning closer to her. "And how do you expect me to believe that? All your kind have come here for the same thing... and all of them have perished." He lifted his hand slowly, giving her one last chance to run or at least attempt resistance before she met her end.

He listened to her words carefully, his expression still unreadable as he considered what she'd said. It was true that some of those who had come before her had been forced through the portal against their will, just as she claimed... but then again, they all had sought something here in the end. And now it seemed she wanted him to believe that she was different? He sighed softly. Perhaps he could spare her this time... for amusement's sake. "Very well," he murmured, reaching out and gently taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Prove your innocence."

His eyes flashed with a cold light as he leaned closer once more. "Tell me what you seek, girl... and I shall decide if you are worth sparing."

He tilted his head slightly, studying her face as she swore she sought nothing. There was something about the way she looked at him... an almost desperate honesty that made him hesitate. Perhaps it was time for a change of pace. With a sigh, he released her chin and stepped back, raising one hand in what could have been considered a "gentlemanly" gesture.

"Very well," he murmured. "You may leave my domain unharmed. However... should you ever return or seek to aid others like yourself, know that I will not be so kind next time." Her reaction would determine whether this was truly a mercy or simply another game within his twisted realm of order and chaos.

He raised an eyebrow at her words. "So it seems that even your own people betrayed you," he said quietly. "A sad story indeed... Perhaps one day they will pay for what they've done." Then, with a shrug that was almost nonchalant, he added, "In the meantime, if you ever find yourself in need of aid or simply wish to speak with someone who understands your plight..." He paused for a moment before continuing. "...you know where to find me."

Her expression made him wonder again how much suffering people were truly capable of inflicting upon one another. It seemed that even here, amidst the chaos and death, there were still stories of betrayal and heartbreak. Strange, he thought as she slowly turned away from him and disappeared through the portal once more, leaving his domain forever.

Perhaps it was best this way... for both of them.