The ravine quaked beneath the storm of combat. Steel clashed against chain, sparks bursting across slick stone. The air was thick with the tang of iron and the acrid sting of burned sigils. Every clang, every cry ricocheted off the high cliffs until it sounded like a hundred battles were being fought at once.
Leo staggered beneath the weight of the glowing chains coiled around his chest. They bit deeper each time he struggled, their runes searing into his flesh like brands. His breath came ragged, every inhale scraping raw through his lungs as though he were breathing fire. His vision blurred with pain, but worse than the pain was the voice.
The fragment pressed harder than ever, no longer a whisper but a thunderclap, a tyrant's command.
Stop struggling like a child. Let me in. Let me burn them.
Another chain lashed across his shoulder, its impact cracking bone and hurling him into the mud. His body convulsed. White light seared his sight, drowning the world.
