'!'
Kyle's shut eyes snapped open at the sudden, sharp sound of something piercing through flesh and the feeling of a wet stream of crimson liquid drenching his hair in dampness.
His expectations of being attacked met with the realization that there was no pain in his body.
Instead, he turned around, his eyes following the line of sight until his pupils shrank at the sight before him—Prista's body had halted mid-swing, her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Urgh... wh-what..."
A spear.
A long, dark shaft with a jagged silver tip had impaled her shoulder, piercing straight through and sending her body stumbling back, falling in mid-air with the spear's edge pinning her against the floor.
Blood gushed out in thick streams, soaking her red robes as she stood frozen, her fingers trembling while bent over.
Her body swayed slightly as if trying to comprehend what had just happened—how she, sharing senses with the Empress, had failed to perceive an attack in time.
'Impossible…'
