I jumped back instinctively, boots skidding against the forest floor.
I knew it would be intense. I had prepared myself for pain, for resistance, even for violent backlash. But this… this was far beyond what I had anticipated.
The ground beneath Narg split apart with a sharp crack, black whips tearing free from the fractures as if something beneath the earth had been waiting to break out.
Tendrils of inky darkness lashed outward, slamming into the soil and wrapping around it like parasitic worms anchoring themselves to a host.
I gasped, my chest tightening as my heart began to pound harder.
The black ink didn't just spread — it tightened. It pulsed, thick and alive, each contraction sending out more whips that struck the ground with wet, snapping sounds.
For a terrifying moment, it didn't look like the power was merging with Narg at all.
It looked like it was trying to consume him.
