The blast thundered through the night.
Alvin moved instantly. A wall of golden flame surged upward, swallowing the pellets mid-air. They melted, dripping harmlessly to the ground like sparks.
The raiders froze.
Alvin lowered his hand slowly, his expression cold. "Guns are loud," he said, voice calm but dangerous. "And noise attracts the dead. You've not only threatened my family—you've called the hounds to our door."
Almost on cue, a distant moan echoed across the night.
The raiders paled. Even they knew what that meant.
One of them faltered. "Boss, maybe—maybe we should—"
"Shut up!" the leader snarled. "We take the house or we die trying!"
Alvin sighed, shaking his head. "Very well. Lesson over."
He raised both hands this time, mana pooling like molten light. The temperature in the courtyard spiked, heat rolling off him in waves. The air shimmered as fire blossomed, shaping itself into a whip of living flame.
With a single, graceful motion, Alvin lashed it forward.
