The small cafe fell into absolute silence.
Hide stared at the horrific, pulsing purple scar tearing across Kai's face. He didn't know what magical burns looked like, but he immediately knew when he saw this.
"An accident during training," Hide repeated, his voice dangerously flat. "You think I'm an idiot?"
Kai flinched, pulling the hood back up slightly. "I told you, it was an accident. I parried a spell wrong in the sparring ring. Let it go, Hide."
"I'm not letting it go." The temperature in the booth dropped noticeably. The heavy, dark mana from Hide's body began to leak into the air. "Tell me who did it."
"Stop it," Kai hissed, his eyes darting toward the cafe door. "You're making a scene."
Hide didn't raise his voice, but the sheer, crushing pressure radiating from him spiked. He leaned closer across the table. "You think I care about a scene? If you don't tell me right now, I will drag you to your agency and beat the truth out of whoever is in charge."
