As the dagger hovered mere inches from piercing Arthur's heart, time itself seemed to hang suspended in the frozen chamber.
Pain exploded inside Jordan's body unlike anything he had ever felt—as if someone were tearing him apart from within, invisible claws raking through his mana core with savage fury.
Jordan staggered backward suddenly, releasing his grip on Arthur.
A sharp pain detonated inside his chest without warning, stealing the air from his lungs. His heartbeat spiraled out of control, erratic thuds pounding like war drums gone mad, while an invisible force invaded his body, coiling through his veins like molten chains.
"What...?" he gasped, his voice cracking.
His knees trembled violently before buckling under the onslaught.
Then the notifications began flooding his vision.
Cold blue text scrolled relentlessly.
[ Absolute Choice System Active... ]
[ Host Status: Unstable ]
[ Monitoring System Environment... ]
[...]
[ WARNING! ]
