Chapter 440: Now What?

The rain of sharp terra-conjured spears sent an avalanche of panic to the unseen crowd. As to what they were doing inside the cave in the Wrath Island, during the Hunter's exam, Ned had a vague idea. But that idea had to be settled when he got the chance of another life as the barrier collapsed, raining down terror. 

Ned's dusky blue eyes brightened in shock. Tiathe, the dark elf slave he thought he had connected with, pulled her heart out. Her eyes thinned into nothingness as she limped towards the body of Su'ayun. Every step she took was her life leaking. 

"I-it c-c-can't be me, N-Ned," she said, whipping every step. "I-I can't be with y-you." She knelt, the wings behind her back losing color, from dark leather to a pale wet paper. 

"Why?" Ned demanded an answer, his voice echoing against the shouting and rambles of shattered barriers. "Why!"