Edward's focus shifted toward the fallen body of the Lord Commander. Blood still seeped between the cracks of his armour, but the light had already faded from his eyes. Nothing but a lifeless corpse remained.
Edward took a breath, steadying his heart and raised his hand.
"Extract," his voice came in a low whisper, but it was more than enough.
Shadows pooled around the corpse like liquid night. They crept along the armour, filling the cracks, sinking into flesh and metal alike until the entire body vanished beneath an ocean of complete black.
Then, the darkness took shape.
A figure rose—an exact copy of the Lord Commander, only wreathed in a mantle of living shadow. The outlines of his armour were there, but no colour, no light, nothing human remained beneath.
[Shadow Commander]
