The next lightning strike engulfed Sel and the surrounding projections, as if the heavens were offended by his blatant defiance.
Experiencing such a phenomenon twice in a week would leave anyone more than shocked. A pillar of blinding white-gold lightning swallowed everything in its path, expanding outward in a violent eruption that distorted the very air around it. The sound alone was so unbearable; an endless, tearing shriek layered over a thunderclap so loud that many disciples clutched their ears, collapsing to their knees as blood trickled from them.
The heat... It was suffocating. It rolled across the sect like a living thing, pressing down on skin, burning lungs with every breath. Even those far from the epicenter felt it, their bodies drenched in sweat within seconds. For a fleeting moment, it truly felt as though the sun had descended upon them. And at the center of it all...
Sel vanished, swallowed whole.
