The Roamer's claws sliced through my mist form with the ferocity of a predator denied its kill. Tendrils of vapor scattered in its wake, twisting and reforming in the stormy air. It couldn't harm me... not yet. But I knew better than to grow complacent. Creatures like this always found a way.
I needed to buy time.
With a thought, I summoned two mist clones. They materialized instantly, their forms wreathed in shifting gray tendrils. Without hesitation, they lunged at the Roamer, a desperate attempt to divert its attention.
But it didn't even pause.
The creature's glowing ash blue eyes flickered, and in that moment, my clones disintegrated. Not just their forms.. their very essence. The backlash hit me like a darkness to the chest. A searing pain tore through my mind and soul, threatening to drag me out of my mist form entirely. My vision wavered, a kaleidoscope of light and shadow.
