The Beast King noticed the change.
It sensed that Osita had not fully succumbed, that the despair threatening to swallow him had momentarily loosened its grip. Yet it did not react immediately. There was no sudden aggression, no rush to strike while Osita was unsteady.
Instead, it remained where it was.
Standing.
Watching him.
Its attention fixed on Osita as though waiting, to see what he would do now that he had found his footing again.
Osita reached out into empty space, his hand opening as though asking for something that was not there.
The effect was immediate.
Mei and her companions, locked in battle, froze mid-motion. Confusion spread across their faces as their bodies betrayed them. Muscles no longer responded to their will. Limbs moved without command, as if seized by an unseen authority far greater than their own.
Panic surfaced, brief and helpless.
Then, like devout servants answering a silent summons, their bodies obeyed.
