The darkness thickened.
That was the only way to describe it. Not figuratively, not as some atmospheric suggestion. The air around the Dark Lord physically changed colour, or rather it changed the absence of colour, the black deepening and spreading outward from him like ink dropped into still water .
Rhys felt the shift before he saw it. The Air element inside him recoiled.
That had never happened before.
[ Kid, ] Alvin said, and there was a tightness in that single syllable that Rhys had never heard from him. Not fear exactly. Something colder than fear.
[ The Dark element at this concentration is not just offensive. It suppresses. It will begin pushing against your own element. You need to move now, before he fully charges it, or you will find yourself standing there unable to cast. ]
"How long do I have?"
[ Seconds. Move. ]
Rhys moved.
