The vampire's last word was still hanging in the air when Lily acted.
Light detonated.
Not a flash. Not a flare.
A collapse.
One of her Dreadlings surged forward and shattered its own core, compressing every strand of radiance into a point smaller than a thought before tearing it outward in a violent bloom. The clearing vanished in an instant, swallowed by overwhelming brightness that erased shadow, depth, and orientation.
The vampires screamed.
Enhanced eyes became liabilities. Blood streamed from sockets. Wings spasmed mid-beat as bodies slammed into trees, into earth, into one another. Several dropped instantly, clutching their faces, shrieking in fury and panic.
"Move!" Lily shouted.
They did.
Almond sprinted sideways, Pulse roaring as Grimblade Creation triggered in rapid succession. Steel, bone, crystal, coral, shadow. Blades erupted around him in a storm, each one different, each one screaming with its own intent.
