The ground at my feet didn't just darken.
It died.
The ashen dirt turned into a patch of pure, starless night.
From that void, a shadow began to rise.
It didn't make a sound.
It just unfolded, a river of silent darkness pouring upwards, coalescing into the massive, terrifying form of the red-haired Titan.
It stood between me and the Maw, a silent, monstrous guardian.
My own personal meat shield.
Then, its single, colossal eye opened.
It glowed with a soft, defiant, and utterly familiar amethyst light.
The entire battlefield went dead silent.
Even the wind shut up.
The chittering static from the Maw actually faltered for a second.
The remaining members of the Hilt team just stared, their mouths hanging open.
Like a bunch of idiots.
The elite Slayers of the Blade teams, who had been struggling to their feet, froze in place.
I could feel their shock, their confusion, their raw, undiluted terror.
Man, it must be nice.
"By the Warden's empty eyes…" someone whispered.
