Silver back.

That was why he couldn't pinpoint the source of his fear-he feared none of them, yet he couldn't move against them.

Nephis raised a fireball.

"Don't attack," Gracie ordered.

Nephis hesitated. "Why?"

"He can't attack us."

Gracie didn't elaborate.

The skill she had used wasn't simple. It implanted an emotion into the target's mind. If her mastery were greater, she could have forced him to experience his worst nightmare, amplifying his deepest fears until he broke.

But for now, she could only instill a constant fear-one that lingered, gnawed at the mind, clouded judgment.

The only way he could break free was by experiencing a stronger emotion...rage, hatred, pain.

If they attacked him now, it could awaken those emotions, snapping him out of the effect.

The man clenched his fists. He knew this fear wasn't his own. He wasn't weak. He wasn't afraid.

Yet...he couldn't move.