Everything froze.
Literally.
Lucas's threads vanished mid-air.
Noah's figure, mid-step, became static.
Vayu's wind halted.
Even my heartbeat felt like it paused.
A soft, glowing light engulfed all of us.
Warm and weightless.
We weren't in the forest anymore.
Just like that—
The blood.
The fire.
The bodies.
Gone.
[Teleporting remaining participants.]
A bright light engulfed us.
And just like that, the chaos vanished.
Silence.
I stood alone in the void, my legs trembling as all the injuries on my body were healing magically.
I felt my chest still heaving up and down like I'd run a marathon.
The threads made by Lucas had been too close. I could still feel the pressure against my ribs.
I hadn't done anything.
Again.
They all fought and bled and risked everything.
I just…survived.
But not because of me.
Because they protected me.
Because Noah stepped in subconsciously. Because Vayu screamed for me to run.
Because Eren shielded me.
