The succubus leapt from the dead tree like a falling crow, her translucent wings stretching behind her, made of veils and screams. The impact of her arrival made the ground shake. The surrounding trees bowed, as if the forest itself feared her presence.
But Kael did not flinch. He did not blink. He simply raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.
The energy that had been building between his fingers exploded into green flames, burning with an intensity that was not physical, but spiritual. The air around him rippled, as if melting from the invisible heat of magic. Kael's hair floated in strange spirals, driven by a force that seemed alive.
"Then come," he said, his voice low and sharp. "Destroy me, if you can."
The succubus smiled with sharp teeth. "You will be my greatest delight, Kael. I have never tasted a soul like yours. So bitter. So ancient. So... scarred."
