The armor-clad husks collided with the front lines, their blank faces splitting with toxic purple fire.
Alaric's sword cleaved through three of the constructs at once, the silver-white glaze on his blade turning the hatred-fueled monsters into absolute ash.
More of these monsters appeared, and everyone got busy. Everyone raised their blades to cleave the monsters in half.
But as the chaotic clash reached its peak, a suffocating, unnatural stillness suddenly dropped over Julian's immediate surroundings.
An invisible hand, heavy and freezing cold, dropped directly onto his shoulder.
The heat of the battlefield faded into a distant hum. A dry, ragged breath brushed against his cheek, and a voice right near his ear whispered, "Welcome back, betrayer."
Before Julian could even turn his head, a violent, crushing force yanked him backward. The forest, the charging knights, and the towering frame of Alaric vanished in a split second.
