She clawed at her own chest as if she could rip the corruption out, but the flames only burned brighter, blacker, consuming the fragile remorse she’d just shown. They were punishing her for her moment of weakness, for her fleeting humanity.
The floor beneath her buckled. A geyser of pure shadow and malice erupted, throwing her across the room like a discarded doll. Her body hit the far wall with a sickening, crisp crack that echoed in the sudden silence. She slid to the floor, her neck bent at an impossible angle, her eyes wide and vacant.
For a heartbeat, there was only stillness. The dark flames receded, slithering back into the fissure in the floor like serpents returning to their den.
Was it over? Was that it?
It looked too good to be true; it had been too easy, but I couldn't fee
