I closed my eyes and let out a shuddering breath. My fingers were numb and cold, my arm aching where the needle pierced the vein. Something clattered onto the pavement, and I looked down to see the needle. It had slipped out of my hand. Nothingness swirled around me, bringing the first sense of peace I'd felt in my short, miserable life. There was no one to miss me, and no one I would miss. There's always someone else to beat or rape. The regulars would move on quickly. I died. Only...wasn't death supposed to be dark? And since when did 'nothingness' have so many gods? Discord: https://discord.gg/PX3xqJdZMY
The moment my connection with the shard ended, the gate above shuddered. Mana from all over the city streamed toward it as it struggled to support itself, a veritable black hole of magic. Falling snow reversed its course, lightning redirected, and even a few magic spells lost their targets and rose into the sky. Both the blizzard and thunderstorm broke apart and collapsed into the gate, which shuddered and began the long process of breaking apart. It was just like a Demon Gate when the core was destroyed, craving like glass and slowly imploding.
The last remnant of my magic to disappear was the ninth-level ice spirit. It continued softly stroking my hair even as it dispersed into a flurry of snow and infernal mana. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to enjoy it, too tired to feel embarrassed. It felt just like Korra…perhaps it had learned this from observing her the last time I summoned a spirit.