Back to the present.
Alba's laughter continued to echo throughout the swamp, the genuine joy in his voice sending chills through its listener.
Yet Lanling simply brushed it off, his focus solely on Haruki in that moment. The worry and dread of the impending, inevitable consequence of his answer nearly sapped his strength, his legs weakening.
Only a few seconds had passed since Haruki had lost consciousness, but Lanling's face had already sunk into the depths of gloom.
Abruptly, the wind froze.
It was so sudden that it pulled Lanling from his momentary self-reproach. He quickly scanned his surroundings.
And his eyes widened at the strangeness of the scene.
The entire world had slowed down. The clouds fled as if being chased, and for a split second, he felt as though the ground itself had moved.
Alba's laughter vanished.
"A world event?"
