He gestured with both hands, and shadows peeled themselves from the ground. Not natural shadows, but things with substance and intelligence. They rose up like smoke given form and rushed toward Arthur with predatory intent.
Arthur didn't move. He simply spoke a single word in a language that predated human civilization, and the shadows ignited. They burned with white fire, screaming as they were consumed, their forms dissolving back into nothingness.
"Shadow constructs," Arthur said dismissively.
"You'll need to do better than that."
"Oh, I intend to," Rhedel replied.
He thrust his hands downward, and the ground beneath Arthur's feet erupted. But it wasn't stone or dirt that emerged—it was darkness given solid form, crystallized shadow that jutted upward in sharp spikes. They moved with terrible speed, aiming to impale the Arcane Legend from below.
