Chapter 9 - 09: Dying Wish IX
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The metal struck rock and bounced off, sending a sharp vibration up his arm.
Clang!
Again. Sparks danced for a heartbeat, then faded.
The other workers glanced at him but said nothing. Faces hollow. Eyes dull. Every man here had been broken long before John arrived. Some looked barely alive, their skin pale, their ribs visible through their tattered clothes. Others simply stared ahead, arms moving out of habit, carving pieces of the wall without hope.
John kept digging.
His breath came shallow. His arms burned. His stomach ached with emptiness. The stale air mixed with the sharp tang of raw mana made his head spin, but he forced himself to stay upright.
Again.
Clang!
Again.
Clang!
The stone began to crack.