The young man closed his eyes, distancing himself—if only briefly—from the hell he'd endured.
The students gathered around Frey Starlight, casting silent glances at him.
Some couldn't bear the sight for long and quickly looked away.
Others stared with a mix of sympathy, and some with complete confusion.
His injuries were grotesque—his bones jutted out, and his internal organs were partially visible.
Among them, two girls stepped forward.
Phoenix noticed them immediately.
"Stay where you are."
At his command, Clana Starlight and Emilia Atarax froze in place.
"Ah... we only want to help. I—I'm family with Frey..."
Seeing the troubled girl shaken by Frey's state, and the frightened girl trailing behind her, Phoenix recognized a familiar aura.
"Holy aura... Are you from the Church, by any chance?"
Startled by his question, Emilia flinched. Phoenix's overwhelming presence made her nervous, but she still stammered her answer.
