Shield

Perhaps Lady Marnia still remembered Sifa's "rudeness" just now, so she responded to his greeting with a Wraith Shriek. This was not an ability from a Pathway; Marnia was currently in the state of a Wraith, and the shriek was as instinctive as breathing.

Sifa had been prepared the moment he saw Marnia appear. He drew in all his spirituality, not allowing the slightest bit to leak out, and concentrated it between his ears.

Thus, when a sharp, hollow, illusory shriek sounded in his mind, he was not completely controlled. So when Marnia flashed before him and reached for his heart with one hand, blazing, brilliant flames erupted between Sifa and Marnia.

When Marnia's illusory hand touched the flames, she jerked it back. At that moment, a majestic voice rang out from the cave entrance. "Imprison."

In an instant, Sifa sensed the space around Lady Marnia become viscous, as though that spot had turned into a massive piece of Amber, or as though an invisible prison had appeared, holding Marnia still and making it difficult for her to move.

Almost at the same time, a brilliant, dazzling bolt of lightning shot past Sifa and struck Marnia within the "prison," wrapping her body in electric light and making her grimace in pain as she let out a silent howl.

Bolt after bolt of lightning continuously struck Marnia. Sifa could smell the scorched odor left behind as the lightning tore through the air. Though he had restrained his spirituality in advance and resisted the Wraith Shriek, his limbs were still weak, and he could only retreat from the scene in an unsightly manner.

Only after confirming that he was safe and coming to a stop did Sifa look toward the cave entrance, where he saw two figures walking in.

One of them