Silence did not fall.
It shuddered.
The white blast faded…and what remained was worse than any explosion.
The cocoon containing Freya flickered like a dying star, its glow thinning, then surging, then thinning again in frantic pulses. Each tremor shook the air.
Autumn's body moved…pure instinct, feral instinct.
"MANGO, STOP THEM!" she screamed as she staggered forward, hand outstretched. "DON'T…don't you dare take another step! NOBODY MOVES…NOBODY!!!PLEASE! FREYA IS…"
But Mango didn't respond to her…there were tears in her eyes.
Mango was crying.
Her tears rolled slowly, suspended in the warped air as if even gravity was grieving.
Behind her, the other Guardians waited. Each held their sigils ready…rings of colour…rings of gold, silver, and blackened light rotating like executioner's blades…
Mango inhaled shakily…then nodded at them.
A signal.
