I focused my energy on my locket as I felt Azyam’s presence fade and it was replaced by the presence that had once resided within the tree. It seemed to grow and swell, and I stopped struggling as the dark tendrils faded from my skin. I could almost sense the Hunter’s confusion as she stepped away from me and I allowed myself to be swallowed by the dirt. It felt as if my body disintegrated and for a moment, I could feel everything; each blade of grass, every insect and creature as they crawled and slithered through the ground. In that moment, I was one with the earth, and I struggled to bring my focus back, imagining myself standing behind Lady Night.
“What–” Lady Night barely got the word out before I rose from the ground behind her, wrapping my arm around the Hunter’s neck. She twisted
