The fight was over.
But the silence that followed felt worse.
I stood there, cane planted in the dirt, barely keeping myself upright. My body screamed for rest, but my mind wouldn't let me.
Because this wasn't done.
Not yet.
"Professor…" Felix's voice was soft, almost scared.
I turned toward him.
He was kneeling beside Leo, who was still unconscious. His breathing was steady, but…
"Still out," Felix murmured. "I… I don't know if he's okay."
I crouched down, placing a hand on Leo's forehead.
No fever. No physical wounds.
But something was still off.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath.
The pulse was gone. The creature was dead.
But whatever it had latched onto…
It was still inside him.
"Wallace."
"Professor…" Wallace's voice was barely a whisper. He was slumped against a tree, eyes half-lidded, mana completely drained.
"Can you still sense the tether?"
He blinked, eyes unfocused. "I… think so."
