“Residue? I cast it out. I don’t feel anything now.”
“It could be presenting itself as dormant.”
I cursed and shoved my hand through my hair.
“Meet me in Meforian Forest immediately, Winter.”
“Ketheron, you aren’t giving me a name because you want to inform the family, yes?”
“While you know I care deeply for your wants, needs, and agency, there are some instances where keeping your confidence could be highly detrimental to you. This is one such instance.”
Oh, fuck. Fuck!
“All right. I’m on my way.”
“Meet me at the specific site there where the Severance was conducted. You are familiar with it? You remember your studies with Cassius?”
“Yeah, I remember it.”
“Excellent. See you soon.”
With that, he hung up, and I sent a text into the Group Chat to keep Vax, Zayn, and Evira informed.
Then I stowed my phone away, sucked in a breath, and teleported out.
I gruntedas I came to a stop against my will, ripped out of my teleportation path toward Meforian Forest.
What the—
I spun around, finding myself on a dark sands beach shrouded in darkness, as though it were night. Well, the nighttime appearance only covered a couple of acres, as I could see the actual sun high in the sky as per the reality of this time of day in the near distance.
I was standing on a narrow strip of coast near some coves just off to my right.
Just as I was about to call my power, a sudden surge of energy had me choking, moments before I was encompassed in a black void, wind rushing all around me that seemed like thick shadows unable to be seen through, but weren’t.
It was a domain of black magic.
In a vibrant burst of more blackness, a familiar figure materialized opposite me.
“We need to talk, little necromancer,” he rumbled.
Strands of his long, white hair escaped his navy hooded cloak that was studded with striking black diamonds, the thing giving him both a formidable and ethereal look. His eyes were an enthralling ivory, his face covered in black veins and any limited portion of his skin visible, considering most was covered by the cloak.
Ambrose Wisteryn.
The Black Magic Virtuoso.
“I… did you just cut into my teleportation path with—”
“No. I wrenched you here out of reach of the culprit just in time.”
“The—you know?”
“I am well aware, yes.”
“So, this infection, this whole thing, itisconnected to a destabilization to the balance? And it’s not just something minor or temporary?”
“It’s not, no.”
