Third Person's POV
"LLLEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOO—!!"
"NNNNNOOOOOOOOO—!!"
Raphael and her friend screamed, but then the sound froze—stuck halfway out. Their mouths hung wide, eyes stretched in horror, but not even the faintest quiver of a breath escaped.
Everything stopped moving… like literally everything.
The rocks that tumbled midair froze in their jagged arcs. The entire world was caught in mid-movement.
Except…
From the severed stump of Leo's neck, a reddish-black mist began to seep.
It slithered like a serpent, winding through the air, its coils reaching toward Leo's head that spun weightlessly mid-air, falling yet frozen. The mist curled around it, tendrils tightening as it sought the broken flesh, slowly bridging the severed neck and—
"Hehe~"
A sound, low and distorted, slipped from Leo's shuddering head.
Thud!
Leo's body twitched. His arms moved, his spine bent, his legs shifted with jerks of motion that cut through the halted world.
