I knew I wasn't winning this.
Not in the dramatic, "I'll try harder" kind of way. In the very real, very grounded way where every clash told me the same thing over and over again. I could keep up. I could survive. I could make her work for it.
But I couldn't end her.
And more importantly, I didn't need to.
So I stopped thinking about beating Kaliesha.
And started thinking about leaving her behind.
The moment that clicked, everything shifted. Not the pace, not the pressure, not the way her attacks kept coming like she was trying to peel me apart layer by layer. But my head cleared. I wasn't reacting anymore. I was choosing.
Between strikes, between breaths I barely had, I pulled up the system and forced my fingers to move whenever I found even the smallest opening.
A half step back.
A blocked strike.
A heartbeat.
Type.
A spike grazed my side and I sucked in air, forcing myself not to stop, not to look, not to hesitate.
Send.
[PARTY CHAT]
