For a brief moment, once Albedo had Mera in his hands, everything else went completely quiet.
Not truly silent, as the Abyssal Corridor still pulsed, still whispered, still moved like a living nightmare around them…
…but for Albedo, there was only her.
Mera lay in his arms, her body limp, her breathing faint but steady. The soft glow that usually surrounded her mana was dim now, flickering weakly beneath layers of residual corruption.
"…Alive."
The word came out low, and something inside him, tight, coiled, razor-sharp, loosened just slightly.
Then, reality snapped back. The corridor trembled violently. The remaining Abyssal forces didn't retreat. They instead adapted, as they refused to let Jax go with Mera, still wanting her for whatever plan they had.
A low, distorted sound echoed through the corridor. Not quite a voice and not quite a command, but every remaining creature and every lingering Worshipper moved venomously as oon as they heard this.
"DON'T LET HIM LEAVE!"
