Claude fell from the skies and straight to the ground. His head smacked against the dirt as a stone went into his mouth.
Tension left his body as his strained muscles relaxed all at once. Like a stretched rubber band, he felt that every pore in his body had met a sudden relaxation as strength seeped out of him.
Tiring.
A five in the Gardar was too tiring. No, it would have been impossible without Elric.
With superhuman strength, Claude pushed his arms against the ground and flipped over on his back.
His eyes turned to the skies above.
Stars had filled the dark canvas to the brim. He spat the stones in his mouth as his eyes remained fixed on the skies, now clear of the clouds.
"The sky is always the prettiest on the worst of nights."
"You only look at them on those nights." A beauty not incomparable to the night sky appeared in the path of Claude's gaze. "You alright?"
"Yeah," Claude nodded. "Just a small headache."