Ferrick couldn't find anything funny about this.
As the ice sphere turned, he finally saw what the light inside truly was. It wasn't residual power from Caldren's armor, nor was it a signal emitted by his mechanical core.
It was Caldren's consciousness.
His very soul.
Elowen hadn't just frozen his mechanical body.
Her ice could imprison souls.
The last of Ferrick's will to fight vanished.
Run.
He had to leave now.
This body was lost.
Ferrick stopped pulling against the golden chains and gave up trying to teleport. The core inside his reinforced frame rapidly shut down. The lights in his chest, mechanical eye, and thrusters went dark one after another.
A translucent soul emerged from the mechanical body.
Ferrick didn't look back. The instant he was free, he flew straight for the mechanical city, hoping to make it inside before the golden array sealed shut.
He hadn't gone far when every sound around him disappeared.
He could no longer hear the gunfire.
