Eldran stood motionless at the center of the holy light.
Was he truly unable to move, or did he simply not want to?
The answer came soon enough.
Eldran bent his knees and leaped against the crushing force from above. Bloodred threads rapidly intertwined in his hand, forming a spear. The eyes beneath his armor were already empty, but there was no hesitation in his movements.
He thrust the spear upward, meeting the descending holy light head-on.
Golden and bloodred power collided in midair. The impact shredded every thread stair nearby, and Eldran vanished completely inside the column of light.
Yet heavy impacts continued to come from deep within the beam.
Thud.
Thud.
Each one marked another collision between the bloodred spear and the holy light. Then came the crazed laughter, leaving no doubt among those below that Eldran was still fighting back.
Deep within the cloud of yellow sand, a sudden chill ran down Ethan's back as he dove.
The danger was behind him.
