The tar-like decay clung to Vonjo's shoulder for less than a heartbeat—then, without warning, it was simply… gone. No fade, no burn, no dissipating mist.
One moment, Crizz's black curse was pulsing with corrosive hunger, the next it was erased from existence, stripped away so completely it was as if it had never touched him at all.
Crizz froze mid-breath. His eyes widened in genuine disbelief, the smugness faltering into a flicker of uncertainty. Around them, the courtyard fell utterly still.
The gathered teachers shifted in shock, glancing between one another in disbelief, their murmurs dying before they could even form.
Even the principal's composed face broke for a fraction of a second, the corner of his mouth twitching in surprise.
