I flew high above the city, wings open wide. The wind howled in my ears, and the sky was full of fire and Essence blasts. Below, the Holt district burned. People ran through the streets. Fights broke out everywhere. But I didn't stop. I kept going until I reached a tall skyscraper that was half-destroyed.
The top was broken and bent, but still standing. I landed on it, the metal groaning under my feet. From here, I could see the whole Holt area, block after block filled with Holt buildings, soldiers, towers, bunkers, and homes.
And over all of it, the barrier.
A giant dome of Essence covered the entire zone, breathing like a second sky. It was thick with energy. Right then, without warning, a bright bolt of lightning shot down from the barrier and slammed into me.
Boom!
It hit me straight on. But it couldn't move me. The energy rolled over me and broke apart. My skin sizzled for a second, but that was it.
"Of course," I muttered. "It attacks anything not from their bloodline."