The moment they left his mouth, the blue flames around his body surged with life, roaring like wild spirits set free. They burned brighter, higher, consuming the space around him in a blinding flash—and then he vanished. Gone, as if the fire had devoured him whole, leaving behind only a faint trace of flickering blue embers that danced where he had just been.
The leaders—King Magnar, Kate, Aurelia, Marcel, Elarion, Klaus, and the rest—froze. Their expressions shifted instantly from tense anticipation to shock. They turned their heads, eyes scanning the field with desperation—he was nowhere to be seen. Not above, not ahead, not around them.
And then—
A gasp escaped someone's throat as all heads whipped around.
There he was.
