Lacus's Strength

Lacus's eyes flew wide open, her pupils contracting sharply. Yet there was no light in them, only a bottomless void.

Her lips parted slightly as she tried to make a sound, but no matter how hard she tried, it felt as though something had blocked her throat. Not a single sound escaped.

Her breathing stopped completely in that instant, her chest no longer rising or falling.

Her body began to tremble violently. The shuddering started at her fingertips and rapidly spread through her entire body, leaving her shaking uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind.

Her eyes remained wide with terror, and the name Siegel Clyne reflected in her pupils as though it had been carved onto her retinas.

Amid the violent trembling, Lacus suddenly lost her balance and lurched sharply to one side, like a fragile blade of grass battered by a gale, liable to snap at any moment. Having lost her center of gravity, she was about to fall to the floor.

Xia Ya reacted almost instinctively. The instant Lacus tilted, he took a sharp step forward, moving like lightning.

He quickly extended his hands. Those nimble arms that usually controlled a mobile suit now reached for Lacus at the fastest speed, catching her falling body with precision.

His fingers firmly clasped her slender waist and shoulder, securely catching her before she fell and slowly drawing her toward himself.

He felt that Lacus's body was cold and rigid, trembling intensely.

"Lacus!" Xia Ya's voice carried a trace of urgency. His gaze was fixed on her pale face, his concern direct and utterly undisguised.

Supported by Xia Ya, Lacus gradually regained her balance. Though she was still trembling, it was no longer as violent.

Her gaze gradually focused from that hollow nothingness and returned to Xia Ya's face.

Her