The blinding light of the explosion gradually began to fade, shrinking into flickers before vanishing altogether, leaving only a thick haze of dust and scattered chunks of earth in its wake.
The ground was littered with broken stone and scorched soil, the aftermath of unleashed power still trembling faintly in the air.
Kael, who had instinctively thrown out his hand in a desperate attempt to deflect the incoming flaming vortex, stood frozen for a moment.
His fingers were still outstretched, palm facing forward, as if trying to hold back the very memory of what had just happened.
Slowly, cautiously, he opened his eyes, blinking away the settling heat and smoke, his heart thundering in his chest as silence fell over the battlefield.
"What the hell happened?! How did we not die?"
