Kael's world fragmented into flashes and shadows.
Each breath was laced with pain, as if the air were laced with splinters. Blood ran down the side of his face, hot, viscous, seeping into his eyes. He blinked, trying to clear his vision, but the forest around him distorted into patches of red and gray.
The rock he had been thrown against now felt like an anchor. His body refused to move, his muscles heavy as cast iron. Even more frightening was the feeling of emptiness. The mana, always pulsing beneath his skin like a hidden river, was simply... gone. There was no flow, no flame. Only silence.
He tried to lift his hand. Nothing.
He tried to mutter a word. Nothing.
His entire body felt detached, like a puppet with its strings cut.
The sound of footsteps pulled him from his stupor.
Five.
