"Academy boy," Gears said, his voice smooth and almost mocking. "I am Gerald of the Black Bulls, and I've come to take your life for a better world." As he finished, the black metal orbs he had dropped on the ground burst into thick black mist, swirling around them both. Ty's mind reeled, questions springing to the surface. Why not just attack our physical bodies while we're unconscious? Unless those disappear during this ethereal battle? And how did he even get here?
The smoke thickened until it formed an opaque wall between Ty and the battle about to unfold. Ty's vision was reduced to murky shapes as Gears and Aldric disappeared into the fog, their voices muffled.
Aldric dropped into a defensive stance, his feet shifting as he grounded himself, eyes darting in the direction of Gears—or at least where he'd last seen him. But then Gears materialized from the smoke, his hands now wielding two black swords that seemed to absorb the very light around them.
