Time slowed down as the red in front of Xiao Zai's gold robes spread. All the sound around him died down as if his ears were stuffed with cotton, his sight narrowed down to the bloom of red on Xiao Zai's chest. Everything else lost its colour.
He felt as if his feet were stuck in mud while he tried to make his way towards Xiao Zai, still falling backwards, one hand reaching for Chu Yun.
A scared, irrational part of his brain told him that if he reached Xiao Zai before he hit the ground everything would be okay.
He scrambled desperately for him, feeling as if the entirety of the universe's forces were pulling him apart.
Their fingers brushed for a split-second, and then Chu Yun's other hand was trying to hold up Xiao Zai by his sleeve but gravity was stronger than both of them, but at least he managed to slow down his fall enough that Xiao Zai fell mostly on top of him.
