For the moment, Ezekiel ignored the glares coming from each of the Broodlords. While he couldn’t use his magic at the moment, that wouldn’t stop him from causing some serious damage if he wanted to. Not that he would, since doing so would ruin his plan.
“You shouldn’t be here...” Evelyn said once he wrapped her and his sisters up in a hug. Ezekiel had let Riley and Celia down, though she still held onto his shirt.
The twins stayed quiet, but he could tell that they were tense as well.
“This is what I needed to do. I wasn’t about to just let you die. Not when I could save you.”
His words brought them no comfort. Which he could understand, since he knew that it seemed like they had lost. How could they be aware of his plans? As far as they knew, they were going to die once Ezekiel released the Broods.
“I’m not releasing the seal, unless I get your promise, your blood oath, upon the soul of Eldramir itself, that you will grant my family, and their Spirits, their freedom once I do. No more harm will come to them.”
A heavy pressure filled the area, but Ezekiel ignored it.
“If you have a problem with that, then wait a few more decades. I’m sure you can afford to.” He filled his words with the sleaziest sneer of disdain he could.
The pressure faded away, and Drake seemed to vibrate in place before Rafael approached Ezekiel and his family. The Broodlord’s mouth was set into a grim line.
“Changes will need to be made to that oath,” he said with a growl.
Ezekiel ignored it. “My father is dead. That corpse your master is piloting is worthless to me.”
Even as he said it, he felt his heart ache. His father had been left behind, usable only as a last-minute bargaining chip. One that the Broodlords had realized was almost worthless to them now.
He had witnessed their attempts to bribe him in his predictions during the days prior to his capture. However, this was also in his plans.
From around the corner, hidden beneath an illusion, the glowing and expressionless visage of Warren Luminance was revealed. His body was covered in his Spirit Armor, but it appeared that he had undergone a similar mutation to Evelyn.
A lesser form of those [Blessed] by the Radiant Lord. With a tail and ears poking out from beneath his armor and hair, respectively.
Unlike the other [Blessed], however, there was no hint of mindless instincts taking control of him.
“You’ve grown,” the body of Ezekiel’s father spoke, but he knew that it wasn’t Warren. “I had honestly believed that you would be a threat, once upon a time. Utilizing the Cult of Light to form an anti- Void faction has been one of our longstanding plans. Your existence, bringing hope to the masses, and proving the usefulness of the Void, nearly saw those plans be brought to ruin.”
There was a heaviness to the voice that came from Warren’s mouth. One that Ezekiel recognized. No matter how much he wished he didn’t.
Beads of sweat dripped from his brow, and he noticed that the other Broodlords had gone wide-eyed with shock and confusion. Clearly, they weren’t aware that this was possible, let alone who was actually talking right now.
“Radiant Chaos?” Ezekiel said with a nervous smile. He didn’t know if the Brood possessing his father had an actual name, but this title would suffice, simply because it was accurate. “Today is just full of surprises. Should We get your pawns to leave? Before we get down to the meat of the matter.”
The moment Ezekiel said the name of the being that was truly in front of him, the Broodlords collectively dropped to their knees. Panic and fear were the last thing Ezekiel saw on their faces before they looked to the ground.
“That name... I like it! That name is exactly what I am! Radiant Chaos! From now on, That is my one, and only, name!” Ezekiel could feel Radiant Chaos reach out through his father’s body.
Not physically, but with the [Blessing] that he had forced into him. Golden light shone, and power filled the world, and the Brood’s words became [Truth] as recognized by the world itself. Something that none except Ezekiel was able to notice. The others were simply too weak.
A gravelly cackle echoed through the room. It sent shivers up and down Ezekiel’s spine. A quick glance showed him that his mother and sisters were shaking, but Riley had simply tightened her grip on his shirt. He could also faintly hear her grinding her teeth.
“Leave us.” Radiant Chaos glanced over the Broodlords that were still kneeling. He then turned to Ezekiel. “Your family can stay, since there’s nothing they can do anyways.”
The Broodlords left without another word. Their master’s command was their life’s mission to fulfill, after all. A gust of displaced air later, and they were all gone.
“I’m surprised... Not even the Ancients were quite so... human, in their mannerisms. Even when they left this world.” Ezekiel chose his words carefully. They were reaching the hole in his vision, so he knew he needed to be careful, lest he end up in one of the versions where he failed to free his family.
“That would make sense. The Ancients never knew just how powerful and filled with potential you humans truly are. I learned much when posing as the Lord of the Speaker of Radiance among the Followers of Radiance, before I absorbed him, and now I realize that your race, as unnatural as their existence in this world is, can be quite useful. So long as the proper hand is there to guide you.” A deep and throaty chuckle, followed by a cough that spat up greasy golden Ichor followed. “You, however, outsider that you are, cannot be guided. You have gone too far, and nearly breached the taboo.”
Ezekiel’s eyebrows rose, and a sense of incredulousness filled him. “Do you say that because I’ve nearly reached your level of power, or because I use the Void in ways your maker once did?”
“Both! You mortals were never meant to wield that power! Regardless of what the traitor’s soul might have let behind! The pinnacle of power is not meant for you either! You lesser beings are meant to serve! Nothing more.” The vitriol that Ezekiel could hear in the Radiant Chaos’ voice was grating on his ears. He was somewhat surprised that his father’s body had held out this long.
Around him, he could see his family glancing back and forth in shock. Their confusion was palpable, but he would have to leave the explanations to Riley and Shine later on.
For now, however, he had to buy a bit more time. He and Shine had officially entered unknown territory, but he figured that, if he led with his gut instincts, he would get where he wanted to go.
“I’m surprised that you don’t know... Tier six, the Tier that you, the Ancients, and the other Broods, are at, is nowhere near the peak of power. Something you should know, if your contract with Drake is anything to go by.” Ezekiel let out a quiet laugh at the Brood in front of him.
“Lies! That servant does not know what he speaks of! It is obvious that his own lack of [Understanding] led him to mistake others as being more powerful than we are. Yet that simply cannot be! Tricks and deception were what led us to being sealed. When we are free once more, then we will seed this world with our blood, and conquer the stars themselves!”
There was silence after the Brood’s declaration. Even Ezekiel didn’t have a comeback, since he couldn’t believe what he had just heard.
‘Is he stupid? Or do you think that this is just a trick to get the other Broods behind his cause?’ Ezekiel asked his Spirit through their bond.
Shine remained silent for a moment, and Ezekiel could tell that they were thinking things over as well. It was several seconds, and the Brood stared at Ezekiel with an angry frown on his face.
‘I think that he is aware that there are powers greater than Tier six but is playing it off as being the difference between initial Tier and peak Tier. They weren’t around to witness the first invasion all those millennia prior to their existence, after all.’
Ezekiel agreed, but before he could voice anything, the Radiant Chaos spoke up once more.
“Enough of this banter. I’ll not let you further any more plans with your Spirit. Swear upon your blood, your Spirit, and your soul, with Eldramir itself as witness, that you will free me after your family’s safety is guaranteed.” The Brood’s demand made his family hold him tighter, but they were so weak that it didn’t do anything to prevent Ezekiel from walking forward.
Now that it seemed that the Brood was willing to go along with his demand, he had no reason to delay. “I, Ezekiel Luminance, reincarnated soul brought into this world by a remnant of the Ancient Void, the true of avatar of Eldramir itself, do swear, upon blood, Spirit, and soul, to release the seal on the Radiant Chaos Brood, after he ensures that my family is safe, and that no harm will come to them at the hands of the Broods’ forces.”
This sort of verbal oath was one that those below Tier five couldn’t make, and even he hadn’t known about it until he’d reached the middle of Tier five. It was something that only those that were powerful enough to invoke the attention of Eldramir could do. Instinctive knowledge that he had acquired once he had broken through.
A wicked grin crossed his father’s face. For a moment, Ezekiel thought that the Radiant Chaos had tricked him, but he felt confident that his vision would still come true. Though, how it would do that was unknown.
“I, the Radiant Chaos of Eldramir, do swear upon my body, and soul, to ensure that the family of Ezekiel Luminance will not come to any further harm by any of the forces of the Broods. May Eldramir witness this oath.”
A thrum of power as something much bigger than either Ezekiel or the Radiant Chaos passed over them but faded away just as quickly. Though, not without leaving something behind.
Ezekiel could feel the new chains binding his soul. They compelled him to free the Radiant Chaos Brood. But it wasn’t so strong yet that he couldn’t defy it.
He also noticed the wording of the oath. Any harm already done was exempt, even the effects of the [Blessing] on his father’s body. Not that it mattered, since his father was basically dead already.
Then, with a wave of Warren’s hand, the Radiant Chaos caused his sisters, mother, and Riley, to all begin jerking about in pain. Yet they were clearly not becoming any worse off than before, else the oath would’ve taken affect. So, he forced himself to just grit his teeth and bare it, because he knew that it was simply the various organisms that the Broodlords had implanted in them being forced out.
Bloody vomit filled with insect eggs and worms splattered across the floor. Besides Ezekiel, all four of the humans, and their Spirits had puked up several disgusting lifeforms that melted into Ichor.
This was followed by actual Ichor being pulled from their bodies.
Throughout it all, not once did the Radiant Chaos look like he was worried that Ezekiel would run away. Not only because of the oath, but because Ezekiel could tell that the Brood knew that he was incapable of using magic right now. Same as Shine, who was waiting not too far away, under a [Shroud] that kept them safe and hidden.
‘Be ready. We’ll only have a very brief window. If I don’t get the timing right, then everything is lost.’ Ezekiel cautioned Shine to prepare themself.
‘You swear that this will work, right?’ Shine still seemed to have some apprehensions regarding this course of action. ‘I can technically [Jump] to you right now. Getting out will be a problem, but it will work.’
This was true, but Ezekiel had seen how such an act would turn out. It wasn’t a pretty result.
‘Stay there for now. Be ready for my command. I promise you; this will work.’
‘And you won’t be sacrificing yourself, right?’ Shine sounded accusatory to Ezekiel.
‘I have intention of it, and the visions I saw indicated that it was possible to get away. That’s what I’m aiming for.’ That had been the only thing that had gotten Shine to agree to this. ‘If something goes wrong, then just leave my family far enough from the core regions that they can get back to the human lands. The Cruor are not allowed to hurt them. Which was the whole point of this charade. Once they’re there, Wolken will be able to keep them safe.’
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‘They’re out of mana’ Shine pointed out, ‘Though, I guess If I can set some fires, Riley will be able to absorb the flames before any of the Broodlords can catch them again. There’s a dead forest beneath me. I’ll get started.’
Ezekiel could sense Shine taking action. For a moment, he thought about telling them no, but as he found himself walking toward the seal, he realized that any alert that the Cruor sent out at this point would be too late. The dead area that indicated the range of the seal was right in front of him now.
“Ezekiel! No!” He spared a glance back at his mother, who had called out to him.
She and his sisters were still lying on the ground, but Riley had gotten up, and held his mother back from crawling toward him.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not going to let you all die.”
With that, he held out his hands. Readying himself, he waited for the Miasma to clear up.
With a snap of his fingers, the Radiant Chaos forced back all the Miasma in the area.
Ezekiel felt his mana, already full once the Ichor from Drake had cleared up, surround him in an aura of magic. Something he didn’t like to do, since it was needlessly showing off.
Glittering opalescent light flicked to life around him, and he focused on his [Understanding] of [Closed Space].
The boundary denoted by the utter lack of anything past it now lit up with shadows, and Ezekiel beheld the true form of the, once just Chaos, now Radiant Chaos Brood once more.
It was just like in the memory. An amorphous blob of greasy gold that was tainted with an oily substance that tried to subsume the gold that was now a part of it.
Now that he could see it, Ezekiel felt like he wanted to throw up. The shapes it made didn’t make sense, and light seemed to warp, creating pathways that led to nowhere, but also everywhere. Shifting in ways that didn’t make sense. Even to his own ascended mind.
“What are you waiting for!? Release me!” The Radiant Brood roared from both Warren’s body, and the true form in front of Ezekiel.
Taking in a deep breath, Ezekiel called out to Shine.
‘Now!’
In the next moment, he placed his hands upon the invisible wall that acted as the boundary of the [Closed Space] that contained the Radiant Chaos.
A blinding flash of starlight filled the area.
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It had been surprisingly easy for Shine to set the fires in the dead forest they were hiding out in. They had even managed to maintain their [Shroud] while doing it. Not that it was hard, since they merely had to use their telekinesis to rub two rocks together fast enough to make molten slag from the friction.
The dead trees and other kindling in the area lit up quite fast afterward, and they were able to use their [Enhancement] to spread the fires even faster.
Of course, it wasn’t even a minute after they were done that Ezekiel called for them, and they were forced to disappear from the newly formed forest fire.
‘Dammit!’ they exclaimed once their perception of the area came into focus.
The whole of the room was bathed in light from Ezekiel’s spell. Something that only he and Shine would’ve been able to see through. The entirety of the barrier that defined the boundary of the [Closed Space] that sealed the Brood away was shining with a blinding light.
Evelyn, Riley, and the twins were recoiling from the strength of the magic flowing from Ezekiel but were incredibly slow from Shine’s point of view. The only one moving at a speed that could keep up with them was the Brood possessed figure of Warren.
Radiant Chaos might’ve been able to as well, but there wasn’t any time to ponder that. Shine could already feel his influence trying to pin them down with him [Will].
Had the Miasma still been present then they would have succumbed quite quickly, but for now, they were still free to use their magic as they wished. This wouldn’t change anytime soon, since the mana emanating from the seal’s boundary was pushing all Miasma away at an even faster rate than before.
‘Not today!’ they silently screamed while taking advantage of the situation.
With a blink, Shine was gone once more, taking Ezekiel’s family with them. There was a tugging sensation, originating from the Tier six power that was trying to pull them back.
A sudden shift in the world forced the Brood to look back at Ezekiel, and Shine got away without issue. They appeared with their passengers in the middle of a blazing conflagration.
In an instant, they had purged Riley of any and all traces of Ichor that remained in her body. Then they did the same thing to Evelyn and the twins, along with all of the bonded Spirits.
‘You need to go!’ they said in a hurried and urgent tone. They spared a moment more to explain and use their telekinesis to force the bodies of both humans and Spirits back into place, before [Reinforcing] and [Enhancing] their natural healing. It wasn’t close to a Life Mage’s abilities, but it would work for now. ‘Ezekiel fulfilled his oath and released the seal on the Radiant Chaos Brood. Now he’s trying to redirect the remaining mana from the spell and close the seal once again. I need to go and help him, and you need to get out of the Desolate Lands.’
Riley glared at Shine, even as she breathed in, absorbing the flames that surrounded their group as quickly as possible. Celia had grown larger, and had taken to the air, both to spread, and to absorb, the conflagration that was rapidly bringing back their mana.
The other three seemed to be more disorientated, but Shine couldn’t afford to wait for them to recover. They needed to get back to Ezekiel as soon as possible. However, Riley also needed to be encouraged to do what was truly needed right now.
‘You know that he would want you to get them to safety first.’ They then disappeared from the flame filled forest. The sight of all the Broodlords returning to the location of the seal filled their sight. ‘Oh no you don’! Get away from him!’
A wall of force pushed the Broodlords back, but it wasn’t enough to send them flying.
Currently, Shine was both outnumbered, and overpowered. Yet that didn’t stop them from flying forward. They pushed their [Understandings] and [Truth] to the absolute limit, seemingly flashing in and out of existence as they forced themself to go beyond their previous limit.
Every cut that appeared in the Broodlords’ flesh caused Ichor to spray into the air. Shine made sure to catch every drop on their blade, just to absorb it to keep their mana up for the ongoing battle.
Fangs, bones, corrosive mold, insects, strange beasts, and tendrils of golden Ichor all attacked them with a furious panic, only for Shine to dodge or block them all.
However, as the battle began to drag on, they finally realized that someone was missing.
Warren’s body, controlled by Radiant Chaos, wasn’t there, and Shine didn't know where he was.
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Ezekiel was immensely regretting his decision to go through with his current plan. Yes, he had gotten his family away from the epicenter of what might be the end of the world, but he now had the might of a Tier seven entity bearing down on him.
Mana flowed out of him in amounts greater than he had ever used in a single go prior to this instant. Only for the mana being wildly released from the seal to be absorbed by him a moment later.
There was a constant push and pull as he was drained of mana, only to be filled with mana. Over and over and over again.
His soul was in agony, yet it didn’t break. Not only had he pushed himself further than ever before over the past year, but he had also absorbed over a millennia worth of memories and experiences. This, combined with his [Truth], which had only been reinforced as his experiences grew, had forced his soul to become far stronger than its current size would indicate.
While it wasn’t enough to push him to Tier six, such a thing would come in time, now that he knew what the requirement for breaking through was.
For now, however, he had to focus on bringing his hands together, to close the gap that he had made in the boundary in front of him. He was still in unknown territory. A moment in time where his predictions had only shown static. Only the fact that his family survived, and so could he, was known to him. Just not the specifics as to how.
“Cease your actions, Herald of the Void!”
A flash of panic passed through Ezekiel. The Radiant Chaos was approaching. He dared not look away from his work, his hand pulling the seal closer and closer to being shut once more.
If it wasn’t for his affinity to the Void, and his [Understandings] formed from both his own [Enlightenment] and that of the memories of the Ancient Void’s magic, he would have been thrown back from the energy being emitted by the seal.
“You dare to defy your oath! Your family will die! Our servants will hunt them down! They shall be fed to the Umbral Beasts, and their souls will be defiled for millennia!”
Hearing Radiant Chaos’ words, Ezekiel couldn’t help but smirk, even as the Brood in his father’s body walked closer. Now within Ezekiel’s sensory range. “I haven’t broken my oath. I released the seal. I never said anything about using the power that was newly freed to close it up again!”
With a pained grunt, Ezekiel pulled harder. A searing tear began to form in his soul. The opalescent light was growing brighter. The colors of the other elements were fading away. Only the pure white Void remained.
“Besides, my family is free of you. I can’t speak with them now, but I know my Spirit got them away from you.” He regretted not being able to properly explain things, but there wasn’t time. Worse yet, Shine was out of contact at the moment. The mana from the cracked seal was interfering with their bond.
“You can’t! That much power is too great for you to control!” Ezekiel didn’t have to turn around to know that the Radiant Chaos was getting closer. Though the effort must’ve been immense, because Ezekiel could hear the desperate struggle in the Brood’s voice.
His hands were now only a foot apart. Far closer than the full spread that they were at before.
Another inch of the gap was closed, followed by one more. Yet the pressure just kept up.
At the same time, Ezekiel could feel his [Will] soaking into the seal. The actual boundary was growing stronger. While most of the power was seeping away, the parts that remained kept it in check.
He didn’t know enough about the seal to be able to tell how long it would last once he was done, but from Radiant’ Chaos’ behavior, he assumed that the strengthened seal would last longer than before.
“If you close the seal, your father shall perish in truth!” The Brood’s desperate plea was emotional enough that Ezekiel nearly paused but brought his hands together by another inch.
Anger at the Brood pushed him harder than before.
“My father is dead. You killed him nearly a decade ago!” Another inch of the gap was closed.
“I swear upon the soul of Eldramir, Warren Luminance is still alive! His soul still has enough of itself left to not have been subsumed by me!”
The world shifted, and to Ezekiel’s horror, the Brood’s words were true. Invoking the [Will] of the world, only possible at the upper Steps of Tier five or higher, meant that he would be marked by Eldramir’s subconscious for lying, or defying, the words that were sworn, which acted like a pseudo contract. If broken, the person in question would suffer horrible consequences.
This time, Ezekiel did pause, and the shock nearly threw him away from his task. It was just enough to make him stumble, but he caught himself in time. The seal hadn’t opened any wider.
However, that lapse in concentration had allowed the Radiant Chaos to get closer.
A clawed hand slammed into his shoulder, just as he had wrestled control of the magic back into his grasp. The crunch that he heard and the pain that he felt nearly threw him off once again.
“That’s right! Your father is alive, and I’m going to wake him up, just so he can watch while I kill you!” The snarl that came from behind him made Ezekiel send a [Telekinetic Push] with all the mana in his body at the lion’s maw that was about to rip his head off.
The gap widened for a moment, but he managed to close it again by the time the Radiant Chaos had regained his footing.
“Ezekiel!”
Shine’s voice filled the area, and a dented and scratched opalescent sword appeared next to him. Mana from the gap was absorbed in a few seconds, and the damage to Shine’s body was undone.
Without a word, they began to help Ezekiel in his task, but they hadn’t come alone.
“Master!” The combined voices of the Broodlords were also heard. One by one they had entered this strange space where the mana flowed out of the seal. Yet they were too late.
With Shine here, Ezekiel was able to close the seal much more quickly than before, and now, there were only a couple more inches left.
“No!” The Radiant Chaos’ voice rumbled through the world, and Ezekiel felt an immense pressure push down on him. “I didn’t want to do this, since the consequences are always severe, but I will not be denied my freedom anymore!”
A slurping sound could be heard, and the Broodlords began to scream, even as Ezekiel heard flesh being torn apart. Yet all of this was happening behind him, and the most terrifying thing was happening in front of him.
The greasy golden blob that was the Radiant Chaos’ true form had appeared in his vision once again. It had disappeared when the seal’s boundary had lit up, but now it was back.
Footsteps, heavier and more rapid than before, echoed from behind him.
“He’s transformed your father’s body! The Broodlords were also partially drained of their Ichor!”
Shine’s warning made Ezekiel grit his teeth. They were so close, but he knew that he only had a few moments left before the Radiant Chaos struck again, and this time he wasn’t sure if he could hold on. Even with Shine’s help, he was running on fumes, and his soul was barely holding itself together.
“... Ezekiel--”
“No!” He didn’t let Shine finish, and clamped down on their bond with what little focus he could spare. “You’re not going anywhere without me, and vice-versa!”
Throwing caution to the wind, Ezekiel kept a mental hold on the gap, but let Shine keep it in place, and spun around to face the charging Radiant Abomination that had leapt toward him.
He had less than a second to take in what he was seeing. The Broodlords had collapsed onto the ground, looking emaciated and barely breathing, while the human-lion hybrid that was now in front of him had spread its jaw wide, and was easily large enough to bite him in half.
Behind him, he could feel a tendril of the Radiant Chaos’ true body push toward the gap in the seal. It seemed to be shivering as it got closer, and Ezekiel could sense that the boundary actually grew stronger upon coming into contact with the Brood. It’s power being drained in the process.
Just like how anything that passed the boundary had died prior to the seal being opened.
A burst of information jumped from him to Shine through their bond. This side of the seal didn’t do anything, since the laws that absorbed mana that came into contact with the boundary would’ve drained the world of all mana filled lifeforms. Only the inside of the seal could activate the strengthening effect.
With a grim sense of resignation from both him and Shine, Ezekiel shaped his mana in a different way from before, altering the [Space] that made up the gap in the seal. The pure white light that indicated the boundary turned opalescent, and what seemed like a vertical pool of Ezekiel’s Void Mana grew to a size ten times larger than himself.
Before the Brood could even think about what had happened, Ezekiel felt more of his bones crack as he, the Radiant Chaos, and Shine, all entered the seal.
With another sudden turn, Ezekiel used all his strength to pin his father’s mutated body against the inside of the seal’s boundary. All while Shine ripped and tore at the tendrils of the Radiant Chaos’ true body. The Ichor that made up its form, and the Ichor inside Warren’s flesh, was immediately drained, and the Brood recoiled in pain and fear.
Warren’s body stilled and fell unconscious as it was drained of energy and began to float in the void of the seal. The Radiant Chaos was no longer inhabiting it, since its power had been sucked out.
“No!” a voice that filled the world within the seal screamed, and the hole in the seal’s boundary was shut. “All that you’ve done is delay our return by a few more years than before! The others can also break free within a couple of decades, and your loved ones will perish. Not by our hands, or those of our servants, but by those that will join us in exchange for being spared!”
Now that the seal was closed, Ezekiel knew that the Brood had no reason to avoid killing him out of fear of having his Ichor absorbed. At this point, if the other Broods broke free sooner, then they would just let him out not long after.
He nearly found himself freezing up, the full weight of a Tier six entity was bearing down on him in full. His soul was still strained from pulling the gap in the seal shut, and while Shine was in better condition, he also knew that his Spirit was already fighting off the Brood’s attacks.
Thus, without another thought, Ezekiel enacted the second part of his crazy plan, and grabbed both Shine, and his father’s mutated body, and focused on something he hadn’t done in years.
He opened a rift to the space-between-spaces and jumped in just as the tendrils from the Brood closed in on him.
The last thing he heard was a world-shaking roar before his body was hit by the tearing forces of nowhere.
Darkness descended as the rift shut behind him, cutting off all light from the Radiant Chaos.