It was as if the world was in slow motion.
The muffled crack of the explosion rippled through the air, and Valen, who had tried and partially succeeded in dodging to the side, was thrown through the air, embedding into the stone wall of the nearby building.
For half a second, he hung there, stunned. His clothes were soaked, blood clinging to it like an overcoat.
The battle paused and for a moment, there was silence.
Then came the veins.
They bloomed across his skin like cracking lightning, red and angry, as they crawled up his neck, coiling around his face.
His eyes turned dark, blood spilling into it, the iris and pupils disappearing until all that was left were pools of blood where the eyes should be. He let out a low, guttural growl, his swords falling from his hands as his fingers twisted, bones shifting beneath the skin.
"Valen?" Ren shouted, but there was no response. The man's body shuddered, convulsing as the veins dug deeper.
And then, Restoration kicked in.
