Every cherry blossom petal incinerated before Rini could even shift her expression. The pillar of lightning slammed into her, consuming skin, flesh, and bone in a heartbeat. All that remained was a single white hand, a diamond ring still clinging to its ring finger.
Night had long since surrendered to morning. The sun began its slow ascent overhead, but the conquest of Heles was nearly complete. Grey smoke billowed into the firmament, blotting out the sun and plunging the earth below into a suffocating twilight.
The stench of charred meat and molten skin hung heavy in the air. Once-lush emerald forests were reduced to charcoal, their ashes drifting like black snow.
