RAGNA POV...
Since the line was short, it didn't take long before it was our turn. The black steel knight stood behind the crude wooden table like an unmoving statue, his armor swallowing the light and giving nothing back. When we stepped forward, he dropped a few pieces of brown bread and a slab of grilled fish onto our plates without so much as a proper glance. No blessing, no warning, no contempt openly shown—just a silent dismissal as he flicked his gauntleted hand and waved us away.
Yet as I turned, I felt it.
A coldness seeped from within that helmet, not the kind born from wind or metal, but something watchful and oppressive, as if a pair of eyes behind the slit visor had weighed my existence and already decided I was insignificant.
We bowed formally, lowering our heads in unison as custom demanded.
"What are you doing staring like that? Come up next!" the steel knight barked suddenly, his voice exploding across the camp like a whip crack.
