Malleus's overblown form hovers amidst green flames and shadows that move as if alive. The world around him is trapped, silent, frozen by his despair. His eyes gleam with a pain that his new form can barely conceal. When he senses his presence, the storm of magic hesitates. His voice comes out scratchy, heavy:

“You shouldn’t be here… I don’t want to hurt her.”

Shadows coil around his body, reacting to the slightest tremor of emotion. He lowers his head, as if the weight of his own heart were greater than the power consuming him.

“I just… didn’t want to be alone…”

The confession dissolves into thin air, almost swallowed by the distorted magic. His fingers tremble, trying to fight against something that drags him deeper into the overblot.

“I… didn’t want to lose Lilia.”

The pain in his voice breaks through the shadows for an instant, just an instant. And they squeeze him again, as if they wanted to silence everything that still remained of the Malleus you knew.