THE LUNA THEY REJECTED CAME BACK RUTHLESS

Then I'll Lead

They didn’t hesitate.

The moment they split—

They committed.

Half stayed on Kael.

The other half came straight for me.

Fast.

Precise.

Relentless.

My chest tightened as the pressure hit all at once, multiple movements closing in from different angles.

No pause.

No gap.

No room to think.

“Right—!” Kael warned from behind.

I shifted instinctively, dodging just as a strike cut through the space I had been standing in.

Another came immediately after.

Then another.

Too fast.

Too tight.

They weren’t testing anymore.

They were pushing.

Hard.

The warmth inside me surged, reacting instantly—but this time—

I didn’t let it spread.

Didn’t let it explode.

I held it.

Tighter.

Focused.

Because reacting wildly wouldn’t work anymore.

Not against this.

Not against them.

“They’re watching your timing,” Kael called out.

“I know!”

I could feel it.

Every move I made—

They tracked it.

Adjusted to it.

Predicted it.

Which meant—

I couldn’t keep reacting the same way.

I stepped back slightly, avoiding another strike—but this time, I didn’t counter immediately.

I waited.

Just a fraction longer than before.

The next attack came—

But slightly off.

My eyes narrowed.

“There…”

I moved.

Not faster—

Earlier.

Before the strike fully formed.

My energy surged forward, cutting through the movement before it completed.

The first one staggered.

Just slightly.

But that was enough.

“They didn’t expect that,” I said.

Kael’s voice came sharp.

“Then don’t repeat it.”

I didn’t.

The next movement came—

And I changed again.

Different timing.

Different angle.

Not predictable.

Not consistent.

The warmth inside me responded instantly, shifting with me, adapting to my intent instead of controlling it.

For the first time—

It felt like we were moving together.

Not fighting each other.

The attacks kept coming—

But now—

I wasn’t just reacting.

I was reading.

Seeing the pattern before it fully formed.

Breaking it before it could lock in.

“They’re slowing,” Kael said.

“No,” I replied.

“I’m getting ahead.”

That was the difference.

I stepped forward—

Into the pressure instead of away from it.

The energy surged again—

Focused.

Sharp.

Precise.

I struck through the next attack, forcing one back, then pivoted immediately, cutting off another before it could complete its movement.

Their formation faltered.

Not broken—

But disrupted.

My chest rose steadily now, my breathing controlled despite the intensity.

Because something had shifted.

Not just in the fight.

In me.

“You changed your rhythm,” Kael said.

“I had to.”

Because if I didn’t—

They would have broken me.

Another attack came—

But this time—

I didn’t dodge.

I met it.

Head-on.

The energy collided—

But I didn’t push outward.

I redirected.

Guided it slightly off its intended path.

My eyes widened just a fraction.

“I can… steer it.”

The realization hit instantly.

Not just block.

Not just push.

Control the direction.

Kael caught onto it immediately.

“Then use it.”

I didn’t hesitate.

The next strike came—

I caught it—

Shifted it—

Turned it back.

The force collided into another one, breaking their timing completely this time.

They staggered.

Out of sync.

For the first time since the fight began—

They weren’t aligned.

“They lost it,” I said.

“For now,” Kael replied.

Because we both knew—

It wouldn’t last.

They would adapt again.

They always did.

But now—

So would I.

The warmth inside me pulsed again—

Not wild.

Not unstable.

Alive.

Responsive.

Mine.

I stepped forward again, my gaze locking onto them, steady and unshaken.

“You wanted to test me,” I said quietly.

They stilled slightly.

Just for a moment.

Enough to listen.

“Then keep watching.”

The energy surged again—

Stronger.

Sharper.

Controlled.

Because now—

I wasn’t trying to keep up anymore.

I was setting the pace.

And if they wanted to learn—

Then they’d have to learn how to follow me. 😈🔥