Aren watched the sickly green veins on his shoulder slowly fade.
The poison that had been gnawing at his muscles moments ago began to recede, the burning sensation dulling as Han's death finally broke the lingering effects of his Bloodline.
He didn't waste another second. Aren shot down the backstage corridor, taking the stairs two at a time as he sprinted toward the stage above.
"Emily," he said into his earpiece. "Status."
For a moment, only the sound of chaos answered him.
"…It's bad."
"How bad?"
"Really bad."
Aren burst through the final backstage door that led up toward the amphitheater.
"The entire stadium is in chaos," Emily continued quickly. "People started panicking after that. They're running everywhere—security can't contain the crowd."
The roar of thousands of terrified voices confirmed it the moment Aren stepped out.
