"Found you."
The whisper wasn't loud.
It didn't need to be.
The moment those two words echoed from the Silent Door, every star in the sky went dark.
Not hidden.
Gone.
The universe itself seemed to stop breathing.
Seraph instinctively stepped back.
The pale hand remained stretched through the narrow opening.
It was horribly wrong.
Too many fingers.
Too many joints.
Every movement bent in ways no living creature should.
Halo's voice shook uncontrollably.
[Close the Door!]
[NOW!]
Seraph didn't hesitate.
Blue lightning exploded around him as he lunged toward the ancient gate.
His soul blade flashed.
The strike could split mountains.
It never reached the Door.
An invisible force caught the blade effortlessly.
Crack.
The soul blade shattered into thousands of glowing fragments.
Seraph was thrown backward like a leaf caught in a storm.
He crashed through three ruined peaks before stopping.
Blood filled his mouth.
His right arm hung uselessly.
