Louis rushed to catch him as he collapsed, but Stella reacted instantly. She conjured a hand of blood light and seized Zorba before Louis could touch him directly.
"Prince Louis, be careful—he's being parasitized by the Grievance! The Gardener likely wants you to make contact! I'll contain him in this capsule of light!" Stella said urgently. "And—Ah!"
Before Louis could respond, Zorba's zombies turned against them. Hecatoncheires roared and fired hundreds of golden spikes wreathed in ghostly energy. Stella hastily raised a barrier for herself while Stone tanked the barrage with his hardened body, the spikes ricocheting off his armor and skin.
"Goddamn it! I had no idea he would get targeted!" Eduard cursed. "Just what did he see inside that castle?!"
"Whatever it was, it invades the mind instantly!" Stone growled. "Should we just blast the whole place with a combined attack?!"
