The abyssal guardian's first step shook the chamber so hard that hairline cracks spiderwebbed through the dais. The suspended sphere above it rippled, black liquid folding over itself like a breathing lung.
Selindra's stance was narrow, blade angled forward, her gray eyes glinting sharp under the glyphlight. Varik shifted a step, his sword held in both hands, shoulders low.
Lucen swallowed, heat crawling under his skin. 'I don't belong in this fight. Not at this level. But if I sit on my ass, I'll die anyway. So—' He flexed his fingers, letting mana flare in his veins. '—I make myself useful.'
The guardian moved.
It didn't rush like the lesser ones. Instead it bent, low and deliberate, and swept its arm across the chamber. The air rippled with the strike, pressure slamming into them like a tidal wave.
