My body locked in place completely, no way to move even an inch.
The empress stood directly in front of us, green lightning shooting out from her body in wild bursts.
Just the pressure coming from her forced tears to leak out of my eyes.
I turned my head slowly and looked at the rest of them.
The girls were sprawled out across the ground, all unconscious, bodies not moving at all.
Their skin looked way too pale.
Only Aria got her eyes open a crack.
She stared straight at me through the blurry haze.
Her lips parted and tried to say something, but no sound came out.
My chest squeezed so tight it hurt.
This whole mess felt like my fault.
I was supposed to keep them safe, and here they were, dropped like nothing.
The empress lifted her hand then, slow and sure.
Green electricity started pooling in her palm, spinning faster and tighter into a screaming orb.
Her eyes shifted to match that sickly green glow.
The pressure ramped up hard, crushing down on my shoulders.
