In a blink, Alex was behind Shadow, slashing low. Shadow blocked with a whip of darkness that cracked like lightning, sending Alex sliding backward. But he didn't stop, he rolled with the momentum, came up low, and struck again.
The golden dagger met Shadow's shadows and tore through them.
Shadow hissed in pain, stumbling back, clutching his side where the blade had grazed him. Wisps of corrupted darkness hissed away from the wound like smoke from a snuffed-out flame.
"That dagger isn't ordinary," Shadow snarled.
"It was made to kill people like you," Alex replied coldly, his voice steady.
Shadow snarled and raised both arms, the floor beneath them trembling as spikes of shadow erupted upward. Alex leaped between them, agile and focused, blade glinting with every twist of his wrist. He landed on a toppled surgical table, then launched himself forward with all the strength in his legs, golden dagger poised for a killing strike.
But Shadow was fast.
