"Wait!"
Kevin Fawley saw Ezekiel Mammon reach toward the Stone Pillar and shouted for him to stop.
His urgent cry echoed through the air, but the warning came too late. By the time Kevin Fawley finished speaking, Ezekiel Mammon's right index finger had already touched the Stone Pillar at the center of the room.
A sharp screech! screech! rang out. Thin strands of Dark Red Lightning burst from the Stone Pillar, lashing wildly through the air like frenzied serpents.
Ezekiel Mammon's index finger was instantly charred by the impact and fell off. For a moment, the room went silent. Only the faint smell of burning lingered after the lightning faded.
"Aah!"
Ezekiel Mammon let out an agonized scream. Pain that seemed to pierce his soul shot through his entire body. He stared in horror at the place where his right index finger had been. The stump was blackened, as though seared by fire.
But the changes were far from over.
A terrifying pressure surged from the Stone Pillar and instantly filled the room.
Like an invisible giant hand, it clamped around the three men's throats, making it hard to breathe.
The murals around them seemed to come alive. Like ancient souls, they began to breathe and flicker with eerie light. The jade picture frames crumbled to powder under the pressure and scattered into the air.
Kevin Fawley and Publius Maro sensed the danger almost the instant the pressure appeared. Without hesitation, they raised their Wands and pushed back with their magic. The air around them seemed to solidify where the forces met, forming curved shields.
Ignoring his pain, Ezekiel Mammon quickly raised his Wand and poured all his strength into forming a barrier before him.
"Fawley, h-how... could this happen?" Publius Maro forced out each word through clenched teeth.
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