The colossal arm squeezed. The abomination that was once Rize was crushed into nothingness, its form dissolving into a cloud of pure faith energy, which the spectral arm then absorbed before retracting.
The turn of events had been so sudden, the conclusion so absolute, that Tangere thought it was all over. Then, a new voice slithered out from the surrounding forest—seductive, enchanting, and dripping with venom.
"My, my… what a powerful display. To kill a priest of the Black Tower so casually… so very casually…"
The voice echoed, and Tangere's vision swam. The world dissolved around him as he fell into a trance.
"Awaken."
Orion's voice, cold and sharp as splintered ice, detonated in Tangere's sea of consciousness. The illusion shattered. Tangere gasped, his mind his own again. A cold dread washed over him. In those few short moments, he had broken out in a sweat so profuse it had soaked through his clothes.
