Round 113

Silence falls heavy for several seconds as the reality of their situation sinks in fully. Then distant foo...

The binding snaps audibly—a sound like piano wire parting—and I recoil instinctively from the sudden sharp pain of it. Halie's eyes meet mine across the space separating us now, wide with shock despite her best efforts at composure—she understands what just happened as clearly as I do. I force myself to focus through the magic burn screaming protests throughout my entire nervous system. "Silra," I snap, voice harsher than intended because every syllable feels like pouring salt into open...

I force my body upright despite the screaming protest from every muscle and joint, my hands pressing against the stone floor for leverage. The binding's remnants still pulse beneath my skin like a second heartbeat gone wrong—discordant, insistent, unwanted. Jeane. Her name tastes bitter in my mouth, but I can't ignore her warning about Silra. The teal-eyed elf's magic is still unstable, barely contained by Jeane's field. One misstep could collapse everything, and we'd be facing whatever m...

Jeane's voice cuts through the shocked silence like a whip. "Silra!" She doesn't wait for confirmation—already moving toward where the teal-haired elf lies motionless on the floor. Her crimson eyes are narrowed with barely contained panic as she drops beside Silra, hands moving in complex gestures that weave visible threads of magic between them.

I struggle to my feet, every muscle screaming protest at the sudden movement after the binding's severance left me feeling... wrong. "What is it?" I demand, crossing to stand beside her—close enough to help if needed but not touching the unstable magical field surrounding them both. The air crackles with raw power drawn from Jeane's already depleted reserves.

Jeane's jaw tightens as she works, sweat beading on her forehead from the strain. "The binding's gone completely," she mutters without looking up. "And Silra's magic is trying to... I don't catch the rest, lost beneath a sudden surge of power that makes the very stones vibrate.

Abby remains frozen in place across the chamber—her face pale and drawn as she clutches at her chest where the entity had been lodged moments ago. I can see her lips moving in silent prayer or maybe just terror, but no sound reaches us over the sudden increase in ambient noise.