The collision was a symphony of agony and iridescent light.
When Elric slammed into the central head of the shadow-serpent, it wasn't like hitting a physical beast of flesh and bone. It was like plunging head-first into a freezing, pressurized ocean of oily ink. The fire hissed against his silver-grey kinetic aura, the sound like steam screaming from a ruptured pipe. The black smoke clawed at the gaps in his plate armor, seeking the warmth of his skin to extinguish it, tendrils of darkness burrowing into his joints with a numbing, necrotic chill.
"Elric!"
Verona's scream was a physical shockwave that rippled through the gallery, shattering the remaining glass in the display cases and snuffing out the candles in the wall-mounted sconces.
