{No one's POV, 3rd person perspective. Continuation.}
The corridor remained frozen long after Seraphina disappeared from sight. For several seconds Elias simply stood there staring after her as though his mind had completely failed to process what had just happened. The expression on his face had gone beyond shock and into something far uglier, something raw and almost stricken, as if he had just watched an irreversible disaster unfold directly in front of him yet still could not understand how everything had spiraled so catastrophically out of control within mere moments.
Then suddenly he moved. Panic surged visibly through him as he immediately stepped forward with clear intent to follow Seraphina, but before he could take more than two strides, Ophelia hurried after him and reached desperately for his arm. "Prince Elias wait—"
