The world faded to a blur of red and black. Distantly, the taste of blood mingled with the coppery bite of panic, his chest tightening with each shallow gasp. A distant roaring filled his ears as if a storm was crashing inside his skull.
The pressure behind his eyes grew with every pulse, a throbbing that blurred the edges of his vision.
When he lost consciousness, he understood something in his mind—only a single line—which made his eyes widen in realization and dread of whether today was the day he would die.
As his mind slipped away, one truth blazed through the agony—a truth that froze his blood in terror. Was this the end?
This was the last question in his mind, which now had lost the ability to even think, as he only lay there helplessly on the ground being assaulted by the brutal shockwave to his mind from the floating jade slip.
The only reaction he had was the twitch of his body and the more and more blood gushing out of his orifices.
