Round 23

Jeane's fingers complete their pattern across the runes, and suddenly the symbols flare with arcane energy, casting flickering shadows across the stone walls. Halie stumbles back a step, her blue-grey eyes wide with horror as she watches Jeane's transformation.

"Jeane," she breathes, her voice trembling, "what have you done?"

The sorceress turns to face Halie fully, her crimson eyes glowing with an unholy light. "I've unlocked the secrets of this place," she purrs, her voice layered with echoes that seem to come from multiple throats at once. "The sword... it shows me things. Great power, beyond anything we mere mortals can comprehend."

Halie clutches her holy symbol tighter, the silver metal digging into her palm. "That's not power, Jeane," she says, her voice gaining strength despite her fear. "That's corruption. Pure and absolute. You're not yourself anymore."

Jeane laughs—a sound like wind through graves—and raises her hands towards Halie. "You still don't understand," she says, her eyes blazing with dark energy. "I've always been this way. The sword merely... awakened me. And now, I will awaken you too."