I will return

35

Zarkos sat in the locker room, his face twisted with rage as he removed the bandages from his wrists. He had noticed it from the beginning, that growing annoyance every time she called him *damsel* through Titan, but this time it seemed to have reached its limit. He stood up abruptly, his body taut like a rope about to break, and advanced on Titan, anger burning in his eyes.

"I can't stand that damn insult," he growled, his voice barely above a whisper, but full of contained fury.

I felt a satisfied smile stretch inside me. Everything was going as planned. Through Titan's eyes, I looked at him with apparent bewilderment, pretending not to understand the depth of his reaction.

-What's happening? I asked, using Titan's calm and carefree voice.

Zarkos paused for a second, but not for long. It seemed as if hearing that question had stirred something deep inside him, something he preferred to keep buried. Without warning, it hit me hard in the chest, pushing Titan against the metal lockers with a crash. The echo echoed through the locker room, and Zarkos looked at me, breathing hard, his fury visible.

—Who told you that? —he yelled at me, his hand shaking as he held me against the lockers.

I stayed calm. Or at least, Titan did. Beneath his lips, I responded with an air of controlled confusion:

—Who told me what?

Zarkos' eyes filled with something other than anger, something akin to fear, but he was still too angry to admit it. He gritted his teeth before saying, with a mixture of fury and anguish:

—*Damsel.* No one had called me that since...

Titan's fake curiosity mixed with my own satisfaction. This was what he wanted, for Zarkos to lose control, for the name to open old wounds.

-Since...? —I responded, pushing a little more.

Zarkos was silent for a moment, confused, his hands slowly releasing their grip on me. The tension in his body eased, but his gaze remained locked on Titan's eyes, as if he were trying to decipher a mystery he couldn't understand. Finally, he took a step back, taking a deep breath.Titan rubbed his chest, acting as if the blow had really hurt. And then, without missing the opportunity to make one last mockery, I looked directly at him and said with a smile:

—Don't be a sore loser. You don't want my Puppy ​​power to defeat you next time.

Zarkos's face froze. For a moment, I saw fear in his eyes, a flash of recognition. But he hid it quickly, returning to his usual composure. He walked away without saying another word, leaving the locker room with hurried steps.

**Perfect**.