Alice stepped back from the battlefield, ice still curling around the blade of her sword. Her armor gleamed under the sunlight, faint trails of frost drifting from her body. Her breath came steady as she walked up to Nate, who stood watching the scene with arms folded.
"Why didn't you help out?" she asked, lifting an eyebrow at him.
Nate gave a half-shrug, smirking. "You seemed to have everything figured out."
Alice rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable."
Just then, a ripple of power swept through the battlefield. Sera slowly closed her eyes, her breathing calm and centered. When she opened them, they were completely black, not a single hint of white remaining. A strange hush fell across the area.
Shadows erupted from beneath her feet, stretching like liquid ink across the broken ground. They moved like living things, tendrils slithering and twisting as they spread. The battlefield darkened, even under the mid-morning sun. Everyone froze.
Then came the screams.
