The wide hallway, once filled with the terrifying crackle of battle and the roar of shadow tentacles, now fell into a strange, heavy silence.
Dust and leftover bits of broken shadow tentacles floated through the air like lazy snowflakes.
In the middle of the chaos stood Creed, Lilith, and Tierra barely sweating and standing tall.
While in front of them, kneeling on the cracked floor, was the shadow girl.
She looked utterly defeated, her once graceful figure now trembling slightly, her shoulder badly mangled where Creed's brutal spear strike had torn through her defenses.
To make matters worse, Lilith's fierce purple lightning was still sparking across her body, each tiny current causing sharp twitches of pain she desperately tried to hide.
The girl's slim fingers dug into the floor, her teeth gritting together so tightly it seemed like they might snap.
For a few long, painful seconds, she fought against the electric shocks coursing through her.
