Kofuyu PoV
I had managed to slip past the big guy and his men while Mizore, Tommy, and Annie distracted them. Hyona had managed to get here first, using his speed to break though the lines. The entrance had been littered with frozen Suyume, their bodies locked in half-swung arcs, blades shattered against flash-cast rime. Hyona's handiwork was unmistakable—fast, merciless, and violent enough to tear straight through the perimeter before the vanguard could even form ranks.
I stepped lightly over a frost-coated torso, boots barely making a sound on the glazed stone floor. The bitter chill in the corridor didn't bother me; it was the smell of burnt stone that filled the castle.
The further I advanced, the hotter the air became, cutting sharp against the northern frost clinging to my leathers.
