Standing in the center of the barrier was a silhouette.
A figure of pure shadow with a terrifying smile was responsible for the breach.
Nocturnis's voice echoed from the clone.
"Did you really think…"
He stepped forward.
"…that your true body was safe within this bubble you created? So long as shadows exist, there is no place impossible for me to breach..."
Gustav's face drained of color.
His original body was dying.
The ritual was ruined.
And the shadow clone smiled wider.
"Checkmate, Outworldly."
Space vibrated as the glow of the ritual platform dimmed beneath Gustav's broken body. His torso was ripped open, displaying a gaping hole where cosmic heat still steamed.
His right arm was gone from the shoulder down, the left severed at the elbow. His lower body twitched, mangled and torn.
His blood which was an unnatural mix of crimson, silver, and cosmic particles, floated in globules around him like a dying constellation.
Yet… he was still alive.
Barely.
But alive.
