I peeked in through a window. I could only see him from the shoulders up, so I knew he was kneeling, but it was him, alright. I prepared a couple of spells to contain him. Of course, that was protocol. I didn’t put much energy into them. I had seen what he did to his victims. I didn’t intend to bring him back alive.

Other than that one quick look, I didn’t bother to check the situation any further. That was my downfall. I burst through the door and let my power flood the room.

I have you, at last, Blackflame, I said. You won’t escape me this time.

Oh, no, my dear Shatterstar, he said, laughing. I’m afraid you have that backwards. He stretched out a hand and brushed it along the floor.

In an instant, I realized my mistake. I hadn’t been careful enough. The blood I had smelled was from a new victim, their body tossed casually into the corner. He had used it to draw a mystic circle on the floor. A circle I stood inside of. A circle he now closed and empowered.

And my world collapsed.