*The moment the lightning struck*
Alex could feel the lightning's power pushing against his barrier. He could already tell the barrier wouldn't be powerful enough to contain it entirely.
He had already used all his mana and was fighting to stay conscious. If he fainted now, nothing would protect Violette.
And he had sworn to her mother he would bring her back intact. He couldn't fail to uphold his promise.
When the barrier broke, the lighting crashed into his back, pushing him and Violette into the rock wall before the sheer power of it pushed them through, sending them barreling through the air.
After a few seconds of flight, holding onto Violette and covering her as best he could with his arms, he felt the cold, hard surface of the mountain slam against him as he crash-landed on the plateau, bouncing a few times.
He felt something break in his lower back, and suddenly, his legs went numb.
