Axis raised her right hand high into the air, her slender fingers spreading wide as if grasping the very fabric of the night. In that instant, a translucent sphere emerged within her palm, yet it was far from ordinary.
A veil of shadow-like aura wrapped tightly around it, writhing and pulsating like a living parasite clinging to its host. The energy throbbed in erratic beats, each pulse igniting a dim glow that sent flickering shadows racing across the battlefield, shadows that seemed to dance and twist like creatures with a will of their own.
The air itself trembled as though strangled by an unseen hand. The ground quivered in subtle vibrations, while small fragments of stone lifted from the soil, hovering for the briefest of moments before crumbling away into fine black dust.
