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That way, there we were at the top of that cliff. The three fallen angels protected by my own magic, which contoured their shadows with a subtle smoke of magenta tone, and I, who found myself panting and tired for the few minutes I tried to keep his powers below mine.

The feeling was like trying to hold hot irons. It was as if my two hands were holding the powers of the three at the same time, and it hurt, no matter how much my skin remained intact and smooth on the outside. Inside, my blood ran fast in my veins, and my heart intended to stop at any beat. I didn't have much idea how complicated that would be, until I really tried.

And I knew I should have made these attempts much earlier. I should have prepared myself better. But I wanted to count on the element of surprise. I wanted to surprise my enemy by taking possession of my two books and destroying them before I found it. And I still had to go to purgatory. I didn't have time to waste with cautious actions and attempts.

So I st