The three robed figures stepped forward, their skeletal hands moving in unison. Dark light flared at the tips of their crystal staffs, and the arena quaked. Lines of crimson split the floor, weaving into a circle that glowed beneath Ren's feet.
Nyxa's voice brushed against him with sly amusement. "They like to trap their prey first. Careful, Ren. A cage is harder to escape once it closes."
Ren leapt back as the circle erupted in a column of flame. The air seared hot, burning the edge of his cloak. He countered instantly, summoning tendrils of shadow that whipped across the ground and lashed toward the sorcerers.
The first raised its staff, a shimmering barrier flaring to life. The tendrils struck and shattered, dispersing into smoke.
The second sorcerer thrust its staff downward. A spear of bone jutted from the floor beneath Ren, grazing his leg as he shifted aside. Blood welled, but he did not falter.
The third lifted both hands, and a storm of black fire rained from above.
