Evelyn didn't just move; she tore through the fabric of reality. Her body blurred out of ordinary perception in an instant, leaving behind only a faint, haunting afterimage of pale blue light that streaked across the debris like a comet's tail.
In less than a tenth of a second, she reappeared directly behind Xerollion. There was no wind-up, no warning, just a fist driven toward his exposed spine with enough kinetic force to pulverize solid granite.
BOOOM.
Xerollion spun on his heel with preternatural grace, his body reacting before his mind even registered the threat. He caught the strike on his forearm.
The collision was cataclysmic. A visible shockwave rippled outward from the point of contact, sending loose masonry cascading from the ceiling like deadly rain.
CRACK THUD.
The ground beneath their feet spiderwebbed from the sheer pressure of the halted momentum.
Evelyn did not pause to assess the exchange. She couldn't afford to.
