Baldric's wall of light shattered just as Rena and I emerged from the ruins of the Core Chamber, breaking into thousands of shards that evaporated before they touched the ground, leaving a thin scent of ozone hanging in the night air. On the other side, Selena still stood, her halberd buried in the chest of the last remaining knight, her breath ragged but her eyes blazing with relief the moment she saw us.
"My Lord!" She ran, for a moment forgetting all the formality she usually guarded so strictly, nearly embracing me before catching herself at the last second, her hand stopping awkwardly in midair before dropping back to her side. "We thought that wall would hold us forever."
"Baldric?" I asked, scanning the field now littered with dead knights and scorch marks everywhere, thin smoke still curling from several spots like the remnants of a bonfire just forcibly doused.
