[Location: Morningstar Manor, New York]
"Grayfia!"
My body tore from Zeraphira's embrace and flashed by Grayfia's side, my heart ached just seeing her fallen form.
Blood flowed from her mouth, carrying fragments of torn organs — warm, metallic, and thick enough to stick to my fingers.
Panic rose, hands fanatically searching for pulse, heartbeat or anything remotely— alive.
"Come on, Grayfia… breathe!" I hissed, pressing my hand against her chest. The fabric of her maid uniform was shredded, soaked through with blood that shimmered faintly like liquid ruby. Her skin was cold—too cold—and the moment my palm touched her sternum, a violent shock rippled through me.
"—!" My vision blurred for half a second as an alien current of demonic energy surged up my arm. Her mana signature was completely unstable, fraying like torn threads trying to hold the shape of a soul that had already half-dispersed.
