Natalia heard his ribs break. The sound was wet and awful, like someone stomping on a bag of chips filled with meat. His combat suit tore open across his chest, revealing the ruin beneath. The impact lifted him off his feet and sent him skidding through the black water, leaving a red trail in his wake.
He hit a pillar.
Slid down.
Coughed blood.
"SATORI!"
The name ripped out of Natalia's throat before she could stop it. Her barrier flickered. Her concentration shattered. For one terrible moment, she forgot about everyone else, forgot about the mission, forgot about everything except the broken boy bleeding in the black water.
You idiot. You absolute IDIOT. Why would you break yourself for her? Why would you throw your body away like that? Why—
Emi was crying.
The healer had collapsed to her hands and knees, tears streaming down her face, her whole body shaking with sobs. But she wasn't looking at Satori with the gratitude of a saved teammate.
