Azrael subconsciously took a few steps back. Upon absorbing the vast amount of blood—enough to fill several lakes over—the armor grew heavier.
Then it shimmered, and a wave of pain coursed through his body.
By the unexplained agony, Azrael tripped upon the black root that had been behind his foot and crashed into the blood below. Thankfully, the Queen had already absorbed a large portion of it, sparing him from drowning.
The veins on his face bulged. He gritted his teeth. His hands clenched into fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Truth Seeker was tightening. Where it once coated his body perfectly, enhancing his defense without resistance, it now constricted him, growing tighter by the second, as though slowly trying to crush him.
Cinder noticed the strain of his master. Nonchalantly, the Remembrance landed beside his head, opened its beak, and began to screech.
