"Swish," the sound of something slicing through the air reached her ears. As she barely managed to lift her eyelids, her peripheral vision caught something swiftly flashing by. Before she could discern it clearly, she felt an icy coldness brushing past the tip of her nose.
At the same time, there was a soft thud on the ground.
"..."
The fierce gusts of wind, the swirling fallen leaves, the sparse hum of voices.
For a moment, everything seemed to freeze.
Helena Wills remained in a rigid state for a full ten seconds before feeling the sensations throughout her body gradually returning.
Her hand was hers, her foot was hers, her breathing was hers.
Equally, the fear and terror that shook her to her core were still hers.
She lay sprawled on the ground, within her field of vision was a knife with a chromed blade, unreflective, exuding a cold and menacing aura. The tip was embedded in the ground, mere inches from her.
