I felt the final resistance in the shadows falter. The enormous tendrils twisted, writhing, and then, under my command, they surged at him, striking with the force of his own darkness turned against him. He screamed, stumbling back, the energy that had once obeyed him now tearing at him, consuming his control. Sparks of shadow clung to his robes, hissed through the air like living fire, and for the first time, I saw fear flicker in his eyes—a wild, desperate panic. Every movement he made was met with relentless opposition, his own power rebelling, twisting, and crushing him from within.
Elias pressed forward beside me, a burst of flame igniting the remaining shadows. “Now, Lyra! Finish it!”
I gathered every ounce of light, shaping it into a final, brilliant surge, weaving the shadows the
