Elio descended from the wall, his heart thundering in his chest like a war drum. With a mere thought, the swift expended a mana point to cancel his fall's momentum, allowing him to land softly on the pavement.
Elio Mana: 12
Without wasting a heartbeat, he sprinted towards his home, fear and hope waging a vicious battle within him.
The streets were engulfed in chaos. Screams of terror saturated the air, mingling with the acrid stench of smoke and something else... something that made Elio's stomach churn with dread.
People fled in the opposite direction, their faces pale and contorted with panic, like a macabre painting came to life.
Suddenly, Elio spotted one of his neighbors. The man limped along, his clothes singed, tears streaming down his soot-blackened face. Their eyes met for a fleeting instant, and Elio saw in them an indescribable horror that chilled him to the bone.
