She was watching death approach.
Waiting for the finishing blow.
But...
In a distant corner of the ruined laboratory, partially concealed behind a jagged mountain of pulverized concrete and twisted ventilation pipes, there was someone watching the execution unfold.
It was "Aiden."
Aiden, the notoriously thin and easily frightened young man with the cracked, round glasses.
The weak link of the team.
The employee who had eagerly joined the Magical Intelligence Division not out of a desire to protect Elysium from the shadows, or to become a legendary hero, but simply because he thought it was a safe, bureaucratic government job.
A job that provided an excellent pension plan, comprehensive health insurance, and a comfortable, air-conditioned office safely located within the golden sector.
He was not a fighter by nature.
He never had been.
