"Boom!"
The explosion was small, just a quick burst of sound and force that left everything around them completely unharmed.
Yet the moment it happened, a sudden, stabbing pain slammed into Julius's chest like a hidden blade.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!" Julius bent forward sharply, one hand pressed hard against his mouth as violent coughs tore out of him.
Rosalina, who had been standing right beside him, rushed forward without hesitation.
She gently caught his shoulder, turning his face toward hers with careful hands.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her voice tight with worry as she saw how deathly pale his face had become.
A thin line of blood showed at the corner of his mouth, fresh evidence of the backlash that had struck him.
Julius wiped the blood away quickly with the back of his hand and gave her a small, reassuring nod.
The pain had not been overwhelming, but it had hit one of the most delicate parts inside him, his core.
