"Don't come near me!!!" the girl screamed, her voice quaking with a mixture of fear and desperation. Her wide, panicked eyes darted around her, searching for an escape, but all she saw were faces filled with suspicion and dread. She clutched the artifact to her chest as if it were her only lifeline.
"It's fine, just calm down," Delphine urged, her voice gentle and soothing, though it wavered with the tension in the air. She hesitated, then took a cautious step closer, hands raised in a non-threatening gesture. "We won't hurt you. We just want to help."
"Lies!!" the girl shrieked, her voice cracking under the weight of her terror. She tightened her grip on the artifact, her knuckles turning white as she glared at each professor surrounding her. Her body trembled, but her eyes burned with a fierce determination, as if daring them to make a move.
