Grey Spatium 18

 large aether platform formed underneath us. I settled my feet on it. Seeing my intention, Taci did the same, his spear held down and out to his left. I conjured a blade into my right hand and set my feet.

“For Lord Indrath, may he reign forever under the golden sun,” Taci said proudly.

“Not if I can help it.”

Aether flooded to every point in my body, preparing it for Burst Step. Taci’s eyes narrowed. Then I was moving.

Taci hadn’t flashed forward to meet me. Instead, he settled back, his eyes tracking me even in the midst of Burst Step, his spear moving to catch me.

I let go of my aether blade and activated God Step. There were no paths, and no time to sense for them even if there had been, but the space around me warped, pulling me into and through the distortion, and I appeared behind Taci, aetheric lightning wreathing my limbs.

Infusing the blade of my hand with aether, I spun around and struck Taci at the base of his neck, just where it met his shoulder. There was a loud crack as his body folded inward.

The aether blade, which I had released while still moving forward, flew past Taci. I caught it in my free hand and plunged it between his shoulder blades. His body was turning, the spear spinning around to thrust backwards, but it slipped from his fingers as he instead stumbled down to a knee, his jet black eyes staring up at me in despair.

“You want to know what I’ve become?” I asked, driving my blade through his neck. “Godkiller should be appropriate.”

Taci coughed, spraying blood over the platform, then collapsed and went still.