The Arbiter's form flickered, and for a heart-stopping instant, I saw him as he truly was—a being of pure, incandescent light, a sun given humanoid shape. The mortal shell he wore, the angelic form with its wings and armor, was just a veneer. And then, as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced by a far more terrifying presence.
He rose, and with him, the world itself seemed to bend to his will. My breath caught in my throat, every instinct screaming at me to flee, to hide, to do anything but face what flew in the air before us.
"You're too dangerous, life hero," the arbiter said.
Without the slightest tell, not even a flicker of mana, he vanished, reappearing behind R'lissesa with his sword raised. Before she could react, the blade blurred, and she screamed, scarlet blood spraying the air.
