The cold tip of the hidden silver dagger hummed with lethal plasma energy, stopping mere millimeters from Zeven's left eyeball as the absolute silence of the ancient temple resonated with the crackle of localized heat. The dust-covered floor of the stone sanctuary lay scattered with ancient debris, including broken glass pieces from shattered chemical potion bottles and the ragged remnants of torn silk curtains that once adorned the grand ancestral pillars. Zeven threw his head back with tremendous velocity, snapping his neck backward to force the trajectory of the deadly blade away from his face. The intense heat of the plasma edge singed the hair near his temple, filling the narrow space with a burning odor while his heavy leather gauntlets shifted position rapidly to counteract the sudd
