I barely had time to tighten my grip around Luke's neck before Jessia reached out and laid a hand on each of our shoulders. I felt a surge of unfamiliar mana deep within her soul, and a thick cloud of darkness erupted from her shadow, rising to swallow us whole. Adaptive Resistance instinctively surged within me, and I hesitated a moment before reluctantly suppressing it, allowing the Apostle to activate her ability.
The darkness was cold and uncomfortable, scratching like raw wool against my skin. It felt eerily similar to the power that festered in Haven, and seemed to provoke a reaction from it. I shivered as the darkness within my soul stirred, and I drew closer to Luke, instinctively trying to siphon some of his body heat and ward off the bitter chill. He shifted, surprised, likely attributing my clinging to him to nervousness, but still held me closer.
