The full moon hung like a white eye over Etharyon. The silence of the alleys lasted only a moment before it was broken by the sharp sound of steady footsteps—and the golden glow flickering along the runes carved into Anna Valmere's gauntlets.
Kai stepped backward one step at a time, breathing hard, while Ronan groaned against the wall behind him.
Anna flexed her fingers. The runes on her gauntlets pulsed, lines of light climbing along her arms. It was as if the metal itself were alive.
"Blessing of the Inner Flame," she murmured.
The words sounded like a chant, and the air around them grew warm.
Suddenly, she moved.
Her fist cut through the air, and the wall beside Kai cracked as though struck by an invisible sledgehammer. He barely managed to throw himself aside, shards of stone scraping his skin.
Fast. Faster than any human… Kai thought, gripping his dagger tightly.
Anna straightened, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes.
"You have good reflexes, aberration," she said, her tone cold, almost amused. "But not good enough."
Kai clenched his teeth.
"Why are you hunting me? What did I ever do to you?"
Anna smiled—a smile without warmth, her teeth showing.
"You exist. That is enough."
Then she attacked again.
The blows came like thunder. Each strike carried the crack of runes burning with light. When Anna murmured once more, "Blessing of Consecrated Strength," her fists grew heavier, every impact reverberating like a hammer against Kai's chest.
He blocked as best he could, dodging, using the dagger only to buy seconds. But even when he defended himself, each clash made his bones tremble. The taste of iron filled his mouth.
Ronan, desperate, tried to stand.
"Kai… run. Leave me here! You can't fight her!"
Kai spun toward him, fury burning in his eyes.
"Shut up!" he shouted, spitting blood. "You were the only one who never judged me. I won't abandon you now!"
Anna paused for a moment, watching. A strange glimmer flickered in her eyes.
"Hm… brave. Or simply foolish."
She raised her fists again.
"Let's see how long you last."
Kai took a deep breath. With the back of his hand, he wiped the blood from his lip and planted his feet firmly on the ground. The dagger gleamed beneath the moonlight.
"If you want to kill me, you'll have to fight for real."
Anna laughed—a low, unsettling sound. Her golden eyes shone as she whispered another blessing, and the runes on her gauntlets burned like embers.
She lunged forward.
And Kai, exhausted though he was, rushed toward her, colliding head-on with the light.
The alley blazed in the instant of impact—
—and the night held its breath.