The young elf froze when the sudden splash of blood struck his face.
His green eyes widened, his pupils contracting into tiny points as the warmth slid down his cheek. For a moment, he could not even breathe. He only stood there, staring at the empty space behind him where the others had been standing only a heartbeat ago, unable to understand how so many lives had vanished without even leaving behind a scream.
His lips began to tremble. One name left his mouth.
Then another.
And another.
He muttered the names of those who had been erased just now, each one coming out weaker than the last as blame slowly crushed his face. It did not matter that Max had been the one to kill them. In that moment, Auryndor's mind had already twisted the blame toward himself. If he had obeyed faster, if he had lowered his head sooner, if he had not tried to be brave, perhaps those elves would still be breathing behind him.
