"Good. Stay alive. That's all you need to do"
Lightning coiled around Kyle's calves, buzzing faintly before snapping into a sharp crack of energy.
Bzzt—!
The surge launched him forward in a blur, his figure vanishing down the corridor before the five students behind him could even breathe properly again.
The echo of his movement was drowned out by the heavier weight that still pressed against their chests, an aftertaste of the "Sovereign of Dread."
That silence lingered, heavier than any scream could have been.
Their knees still trembled. Their breaths still caught.
Even after the presence was gone, the shadow it left behind clawed at the edges of their minds.
Kyle, though, wasn't spared from the backlash.
The instant he rounded the corner, his head flared with a stabbing pain.
'Tch, damn it…' His hand shot to his temple, pressing hard as if that would keep it from splitting apart.
'Feels like my skull's about to crack open.'
