The facility shook violently.
Stone cracked.
Glass shattered.
Machines exploded.
Magic circles ruptured one after another.
The entire underground laboratory seemed to be tearing itself apart.
---
"GO!"
Brennan shouted.
---
Nobody moved.
---
Alice couldn't.
---
Her legs refused.
---
"Brennan!"
---
The circuits across his body burned brighter.
---
The glow had become painful to look at.
---
Like staring directly into the sun.
---
"Brennan, come with us!"
Raj shouted.
---
Brennan laughed.
---
"If I could, don't you think I would?"
---
The answer hit harder than any attack.
---
Because everyone immediately understood.
---
There was no saving him.
---
Not anymore.
---
Whatever they had done to his body—
Whatever modifications Vaan had forced upon him—
The damage was already done.
---
The circuits weren't merely attached to him.
---
They were part of him.
---
Integrated.
---
Permanent.