The night exploded.
*CLAAAAANNNGGG!*
A sound like the world cracking in half tore across the beach. A blinding violet-white flash lit everything sand, faces, waves as bright as day for one frozen heartbeat. When the light vanished, Alaric's massive red sword was no longer whole. The top half spun through the air, glinting once under the moon, then stabbed deep into the sand thirty feet away, quivering like an arrow that had found its target. The broken stump in Alaric's hand smoked and hissed, the jagged edge glowing dull red.
He stared at it, mouth actually hanging open. Blood dripped from his chin and mixed with the sand stuck to his green-black skin. His red eyes were huge, the glow inside them flickering like someone had just yanked the plug.
"Heh."
I stood tall, black sword still raised high, purple-black aura dripping off the blade like liquid starlight. My grin showed every tooth.
"That's… impossible," Alaric rasped, voice cracking for the first time all night.
