Spurt.
The sharp sound echoed through the quiet forest.
For a moment, the hooded warrior didn't understand what had happened.
He blinked.
Then he looked forward.
And his pupils shrank.
His arm—
The forearm that had been holding Lia by the throat—
Was gone.
Blood sprayed violently from the torn stump.
For a heartbeat he simply stared at it.
Then the pain reached him.
"ARRRRRRAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!"
His scream tore through the forest as he stumbled backward, clutching the bleeding limb.
"My hand…!!!"
Only then did he notice the figure standing in front of him.
A man stood calmly between him and the fallen girl.
Tall.
Composed.
A handsome middle-aged man with sharp features and intense black eyes. Strands of white streaked through his otherwise raven-black hair, giving him a distinguished yet dangerous appearance.
In his arms—
He was holding the girl the hooded warrior had just been choking.
Lia.
The hooded warrior's breathing stopped.
