Shadows flowed outward, not as bindings, but as calming weights, spreading across the ground like dark water. The pegasus hesitated mid-charge, hooves slowing as the magic dulled its momentum rather than stopping it outright.
It snorted, wings flaring, eyes narrowing.
Luna took a careful step forward. "You're not her pet," she said softly. "You're her chain."
The pegasus screamed again and lashed out, but weaker this time, its movements erratic as conflicting magic pulled at it. Luna raised her free hand, palm open, and began a longer chant, voice low and steady despite the tremor in her limbs.
"Anima ferox, audi me…
Non vinclum, sed pactum.
Non dominus, sed comes."
A sigil formed in the air between them, complex and slow, weaving shadow, frost, and raw mana into a binding circle that did not close. It waited.
The pegasus faltered, wings beating unevenly, breath coming hard. It lunged one last time, desperate and wild.
Luna did not dodge.
