The stillness that followed Nyxira's dark magic was more terrifying than the chaos. It felt as if the world held its breath, suspended in a moment where time ceased to matter. My pulse pounded in my ears, and I could feel Lise's body tense next to mine, preparing for the inevitable.
Then, in a single instant, the silence shattered.
Nyxira's eyes gleamed with a malevolent glint as she flicked her wrist, sending the swirling shadows racing toward us. They weren't just shadows they were alive, filled with dark energy that clawed and twisted as they came for us.
Lise reacted instantly. Her ice magic surged forward, a massive, shimmering wall of frost that collided with the shadows in a blinding explosion of dark and light.
The force of it shook the ground beneath us, and I stumbled back, barely keeping my footing.