White lightning drifted through the air like a slow swarm, countless tiny electric snakes circling Ethan's body.
The man who'd been blasted away had just hauled himself off the ground. Before he could gather his energy again, a terrifying pressure crashed down from above. The air tightened. He looked up on instinct—
And only caught a blur cutting across his vision.
In the next instant, Ethan was right in front of him.
He moved so fast he barely left a trace, like space itself had folded. By the time the man realized what was happening, a hand was already locked around his throat like a steel vise, lifting him clean off the ground.
His breath stopped.
Ethan wasn't even squeezing, but the pressure felt like a mountain pressing into his windpipe, crushing the air out of him. White lightning flowed along Ethan's arm, arcs snapping and jumping. Every flicker made the air pop with tiny, sharp detonations.
All the Nexaris soldiers around them froze.
