The words landed like a physical blow, far heavier than any metal-encased fist Arthur had thrown.
Lucy's eyes widened, her pupils shrinking to tiny pinpricks. The world around her seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second, the roar of the falling stone fading into a dull, distant hum.
'Empty.'
'There is nothing left to fix.'
The hope that had driven her across the galaxy, the desperate, clawing belief that she could force this ancient monster to restore her brother's warmth, fractured into a thousand jagged pieces inside her chest.
"No," she whispered.
"Yes!" Arthur roared, seeing the crack in her spirit and seizing it with absolute, predatory instinct.
His shadow manipulation flared. A dark, shadowy blade erupted from his elbow, heavily coated in dark chi, and he drove it backward, impaling Lucy through her left shoulder, punching clean through her armor and flesh.
"AAAAAHHHH!" Lucy screamed in pain.
