Arthur looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers as if seeing them for the first time. The phantom weight of his odachi still lingered in his memory, and he could feel the echo of shadow-power thrumming just beneath his skin. Then he looked around the car at Cara, Myah, and Aziel, taking in their expressions of concern and barely concealed fear. The reality of what had happened—what he had done—began to sink in with sickening clarity.
"W-what's going on?" Arthur asked, his voice quiet and shaky, barely more than a whisper. The words seemed to stick in his throat, weighted down by confusion and the growing certainty that something was seriously wrong with him.
Silence filled the car for several long, uncomfortable moments as his companions struggled with how to explain what they'd witnessed. The air felt thick with unspoken tension, heavy with the implications of what had just occurred. Finally, Aziel found his voice, though it carried none of its usual steady confidence.
