The space where the Seventh Prince had just been bleeding on the floor was empty. A faint, dissipating swirl of blue aura and a few droplets of fresh blood on the broken wood were the only signs he had ever been there. He was gone. A hidden escape art, or outside intervention from a high-level sniper accomplice.
"Host!" the System's voice pinged, urgent and sharp. "The Seventh Prince's vital signals have vanished from the immediate perimeter! He has escaped using a high-grade spatial scroll!"
Heena stood perfectly still in the center of the silent hall, the dark cloak settling around her shoulders. She didn't yell or curse. Slowly, she reached up, wiping the thin line of blood from her cheek with the back of her hand, looking at the crimson stain on her skin.
A slow, terrifyingly cold smile spread across her face.
"Escaped?" she whispered, her voice echoing in the quiet room as the 300 soldiers of the battalion watched her in absolute awe.
