"I can't hold it that long." His voice broke on the middle word. "In this mana density, my fields collapse in under two seconds. There's too much ambient energy. It's like trying to drain a pool with a shot glass."
"Then give us two seconds. Two seconds is enough."
Dante stared at her. She watched him process the request, watched the fear fight with something older and more stubborn that lived underneath the panic. The part of Dante Pope that had earned Elite Ten status through something other than matchup luck. The part that refused to believe he was as temporary as everyone said.
"Two seconds," he repeated.
"Two seconds. Can you do that?"
A pause that lasted longer than Naomi would have liked. Then a nod. Small. Reluctant. Genuine.
"I can do two seconds."
