Alden gasped as his vision cleared.
The sky and earth were no longer shattered, and he sensed the presence of a large, agitated crowd.
…He was back in the arena.
A sheen of sweat matted his forehead, and his chest heaved up and down.
He looked around and discovered that he was mere steps away from the boundary line. The sleeveless black mantle and the dark crimson tunic he wore underneath were also torn in several places, as well.
Abyssal decay flickered around him like a dying candle.
What in the Asterons had happened whilst he was in the illusion?
Cursing, the Keeper's Apprentice scrambled - suddenly, two ghostly figures formed in his mind's eye. Ghostly lightning covered one of their hands as they thrust it into his chest, while the other manipulated a strange energy that warped and twisted, decapitating him.
Alden reappeared in the middle of the arena, breathless from the close call.
