The world stopped ringing.
Celestria pushed herself up from the crater, her ears aching from the sonic blast. Dust and splintered wood rained down from the sky.
Across the clearing, Theron and Sebastian were doing the same, their expressions grim. Azrael, still cuffed, watched from the dirt, his mind reeling from the sheer, formless power he had just witnessed.
Marius stood in the center of the destruction he had created, his clothes untouched, his expression one of deep, tragic resolve. He had not moved an inch.
"This is your last chance," Marius said, his voice a low hum that vibrated in their bones. "Leave. This does not concern you."
"Like hell it doesn't," Celestria snarled.
She didn't waste another moment on words. She raised her hands, and the air around her warped. Silver light coalesced, hardening into the shape of a dozen long, sharp spears, each one glowing with contained power. With a sharp gesture, she sent them screaming through the air toward the vampire.
