The absolute, deafening silence that followed Ignis's diagnostic report was the most terrifying sound the Warlord's study had ever experienced.
The Apocalyptic Lockdown Protocol had completely frozen the valley of Oakhaven in a state of stasis. Outside the shattered stone wall, the warm summer sky had been forcefully reformatted into a highly intense, glowing emerald grid of impenetrable systemic defense. The ambient temperature inside the room was mathematically locked at a perfectly neutral, unfluctuating baseline, completely suppressing Kael's raging solar plasma and keeping the air perfectly still.
In the center of the ruined study, Valeria lay completely motionless.
