Vaelric (2)

The figure remained still until the serpent's fiery maw was nearly upon them. Then, with a single, deliberate step, they moved. 

First Movement. 

The figure's blade traced a wide, sweeping arc, a ring of black starlight flaring to life as the motion completed. The ring pulsed with an eerie energy, dark and radiant at the same time, as though it devoured the light around it. The starlight ring caught the fiery serpent mid-lunge, constricting its blazing form as if an invisible chain had bound it. 

The serpent hissed and writhed, its fiery coils struggling against the encircling starlight, but the figure held firm, their blade steady as they maintained the ring's pressure. The flames dimmed slightly, their brilliance choked by the oppressive force of the black energy. 

Second Movement.