Like a surgeon operating on a patient's body, Mharzan's attention was fully focused on every part of Lein's cellular tissue and internal energy, searching for something crucial.
Every nerve ending, every cell, was within the reach of his skilled magical threads. Cutting, sorting, and tracing each nerve network, he made sure not to overlook the slightest suspicion.
After a long search, he finally found it. A black cluster of energy, faint and almost invisible, hiding at the tip of Lein's tailbone. Instantly, Mharzan felt his breath catch in his throat. With quick yet gentle movements, he swung his hand, summoning magic energy that coiled toward the cluster, pulling it out like extracting a thorn from flesh.
But then, he felt something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
"No!" His scream echoed only in his mind, rippling with waves of panic.