"What… What happened to you, Lyle?" Her voice was tight, as if she were experiencing immense pain while asking it. And she truly was.
Ephyra didn't understand why, but witnessing Lyle wounded and silent—now seeing the bizarre lines etched beneath his skin—filled her with a deep sense of anguish. The sight of him in pain had made her heart ache ever since she first laid eyes on his injuries.
However, a quiet chuckle came from him in reply to her question, and Ephyra froze, tightening her hold on his shoulder.
"Lyle? Please tell me, okay? Is it because of the disorder? Lyle, is it? Is this another effect it causes?" Ephyra tried to make her voice clear enough for him to hear.
Yet, he didn't say anything and only turned his head, but even that action felt to Ephyra like his bones had become stiff. And when he finally faced her, she gazed at his eerie, blood-red eyes with the black part of his pupil completely filling his violet iris.
"Lyle?" she whispered, her breath shallow.
