Chapter 49: The Cost of Weakness
The black surrounding Rowan couldn’t be contained any longer, shooting out in all directions to fill the empty space.
Save any discussions of volume, the power alone that could be felt from any individual particle of aether was enough to force bile to rise in Liora’s throat, her hands reaching in front of her to cover her mouth.
It was ominous, possessing within it the uncontrolled malice that had overcome Rowan. It was unbecoming, Liora thought, but deserving of the creature in front of them.
"My, you are quite the specimen, to have such power reside within you. I knew it was right, messing with you and compelling us both to our mutual doom!"
The provocation was clearly an attempt to offset Rowan’s still movement, and it worked, his foot bouncing off non-existent floor to send him jetting toward the demon.
In Liora’s own view, one moment, Rowan had been there, and the next, gone. His flight wasn’t even a streak, instead the teleportation of a being beyond her comprehension.
But it wore his face, covered itself with his hair, and adorned his clothing. The only thing marking the person in front of her as Rowan was its appearance, its mannerisms and aura foreign to him just minutes before.
"I’ll fucking kill you, I’ll fucking kill you, I’ll fucking kill you!"
Each curse was followed by a loud bang from his fist impacting into the demon’s own, the void shaking with each clash.
Although there wasn’t air to displace, the stray jets of aether was more than enough to knock her off her balance.
"Insane," she thought with half-closed eyes, "they’re moving at speeds I can’t even process."