Sebastian floated in the pitch-black nothingness, his massive, glitching avatar of black static and weeping red runes anchored by a single, brilliant beam of blue light. That light was Valerie.
Her Astral Avatar hovered in front of him, a translucent, glowing projection of the corporate heiress who absolutely refused to let him die alone in the dark. But the beautiful, steady glow of her Earth-mana was starting to violently stutter.
"You're lagging, Princess," Sebastian murmured, his voice a distorted, metallic hum that vibrated through the empty space.
Valerie's projection flickered. One second she was perfectly rendered in her torn azure silk robes, and the next, her left leg dissolved into a block of fuzzy, low-resolution blue static before violently snapping back into shape. She gasped, her translucent hands flying to her chest as if she had just been punched.
