The barrier hummed, a fragile lattice of golden light struggling against the absolute, cold geometry of the Architects. Julian felt his very essence being harvested by the pressure. Every stroke of the geometric appendages against his shield tore away a fragment of his identity. He forgot the color of his mother's eyes, then the sound of the rainfall in the Draconia valley, and finally, the reason why he had raised his sword in the first place. He was becoming a hollow vessel, a perimeter of sheer will held together by nothing but the desperate need to keep Elara safe.
Behind him, Elara was locked in a harrowing communion with the Ethereal Scale. She could feel the universe trying to reject the flaw she was introducing. The Scale grew searingly hot, vibrating with a frequency that threate
