The crowd was panicking now. People backing away from Damien. Guards moving forward uncertainly. The carefully constructed political discourse collapsing into fear and chaos.
And through it all, Damien felt the corruption settling deeper. The cold efficiency becoming default. People registering as threats or non-threats, resources or obstacles.
Everyone except Elara.
She remained vivid. Real. The anchor holding even as the corruption surged.
But barely.
[CORRUPTION: 7.8%]
[EMOTIONAL CAPACITY: Severely compromised]
[WARNING: Anchor bond under strain]
[CRITICAL: Need immediate contact or corruption will accelerate further]
Damien released the shadows, letting the immobilized shooters drop. Valcrest guards were already moving to secure them.
"I saved her life," he said flatly, his voice carrying no emotion. "Whether you call that demonic or heroic is irrelevant. The objective was preventing assassination. Objective achieved."
