"Kael!" Lyra cried, catching him as his digital knees buckled. His emerald eyes, wide and unfocused, stared at the gaping hole in the tower, at the swirling vortex in the sky, at the countless enemies still inside. He had won the first battle, but he had lost his ability to fight. He was utterly vulnerable. And Nyx was waiting.
Kael’s avatar flickered violently, on the verge of total system crash. The battlefield, once a cacophony of shouts and explosions, now seemed a distant, muted hum. His Admin panel was a dead obsidian slate. He felt hollow, utterly drained, as if his very essence had been siphoned away. He leaned heavily on Lyra, his head lolling against her shoulder.
"I… I can't," Kael rasped, the words thick with shame and exhaustion. "I used everything. My Admin… it's gone."
Ly
