Leon felt weightless.
Not the weightlessness of flight—but the kind that comes after impact, when the body forgets how to move. His face pressed into the cold dirt. His arms didn't respond. The pain in his back screamed louder than thought.
Somewhere above him, the battle continued.
Screams. Magic. Roars.
Then—footsteps.
Heavy. Measured. Getting closer.
The creature.
His vision swam as he lifted his head. Just enough to see its legs.
The beast stood over him.
It didn't attack.
It looked down.
Its voice slid into his skull again, more whisper than command.
"Not broken. Not yet. That is the danger of you."
The air thickened.
Leon tried to move. Tried to speak. Nothing.
Then—light.
Not from the creature.
From the sky.
A spear of silver-blue fire tore down from above, slamming into the creature's back. It staggered. Roared. Turned.
Above them, descending through the clouds, came a figure.
Armoured. Cloaked. Radiant.
The Fifth Seal.
Aelia.
