Pam did not move.
Not when Lord Vord spoke.
Not when the weight of his words settled over her like a verdict that had already been decided.
Not even when the entire arena seemed to lean toward silence, as if everyone expected her to bow her head and accept it.
She stayed where she was.
On her knees.
Hands trembling against the ground.
Breathing uneven.
For a moment, it looked like she would break.
Like the words had reached her.
Like the command had taken hold.
But then—
She laughed.
It was not loud at first.
Not even clear.
A broken, trembling sound that slipped out between breaths, uneven, strained, almost painful to hear.
"…Give it up…?"
Her shoulders shook as she lifted her head slowly, her eyes still wet, her face streaked with tears, yet something inside her had changed.
Something had hardened.
"…You want me to give it up…?"
She repeated the words as if tasting them, as if trying to understand how they could be spoken so easily.
Then—
Her voice rose.
