"Mama!"
"Lina, how do you feel? Are you alright?"
The moment she saw Caelis standing there, a cold dread twisted inside Lina. The man who had tortured the person she considered her brother... Her throat tightened, her gaze darted to the floor, unable to meet his eyes.
"What happened…?" she asked softly, forcing her tone to remain steady even as anxiety prickled beneath her skin.
"Claude tried to wake you," Caelis replied quietly. "He came to find me in tears. He said your body was freezing… and that you weren't breathing."
It was not unusual for a sword master like her. Whenever a sword master was seriously injured and wished to conceal their sword aura, they would hold their breath and use their remaining spiritual power to slow their blood flow and breathing. In this way, no one would be able to track or sense their sword aura.
In Lina's case, she was not seriously injured—but nearly all of her spiritual power and mana had been completely drained.
