Ren knelt beside Lilith, gently brushing her hair back as he tried to rouse her.
"Lilith!" He said softly, voice shaking. "Lilith, please. Wake up."
She didn't move.
Her chest rose and fell with shallow, uneven breaths, blood still trickling from her nose.
The sight sent fear running through Ren more than anything they'd faced so far.
Zuzu, Elias, and Thorn rushed towards them from the edges of the room, their faces pale and strained.
"Thank the heavens you're safe!" Thorn breathed, voice shaking. "We thought we'd lost you both."
"What happened?" Ren asked as he tried to rouse Lilith.
"She went in after you." Zuzu said, kneeling beside them. "You stopped moving after you took the key."
"You just stood there, and we tried calling you, but nothing worked. Lilith reached out to shake you, and then… she froze too."
Elias nodded. "We didn't know what to do. If we touched the key or you, we would've been frozen too, and that'll mean we all get crushed here forevermore."
