For a moment…
Lia didn't understand what had just happened.
Her mind wandered over the brief, fractured instant—over the strange sensation, like something unnatural and weird had happened to her, along with the faint sound of something cracking—but it slipped through her thoughts like water.
Confusion clouded her expression.
But before she could even think about it further—
Her gaze shifted again, landing fully on Lucian, and everything else… disappeared.
Her face turned pale, colour draining in horror, her pupils shrinking as she saw his bloodied silhouette—as the sight before her finally sank in.
She moved abruptly, rushing forward before dropping beside him.
"B–b–brother?" she stammered uncontrollably, her tone trembling with fear pouring into every word of her voice.
The moment she dropped before him, her hands hovered, suspended in the air—unsure where to touch, what to do, afraid that even the slightest movement might hurt him more.
Because everywhere she looked—
