[Elisabeth's POV]
The silence after the illusion broke was so loud it hurt my ears.
I stood in the middle of the dark side chamber, watching the last bits of purple mist fade into nothing around me.
My hands were steady on my sword hilt, but my chest was heaving. My lungs burned as I pulled in the real air of the ruins — thick with ash and old stone, but real. My mana core ached with a hollow, burning pain. Forcing my will to break a high-level mental trap had pushed my body to its limit.
I looked down at my palms. They were clean. The blood, the shattered courtyard of the Noctis estate, the horrific sight of my sister and grandmother — it was all gone. A cruel trick made to break me.
A cold breath escaped my lips. "...That was unpleasant," I muttered.
I sheathed my blade with a crisp, echoing click.
