Kael didn’t move.
Not away.
Not aside.
She stood her ground.
Emily’s breath caught in her throat.
“…Kael—!”
Theodore’s shadows surged slightly—
but he did not intervene.
The figure struck.
A distortion tore through the air—
fast, precise, lethal.
Kael raised her hand.
Not defensively.
But in response.
At the exact moment the distortion reached her—
she shifted.
Not away from it.
But with it.
The air warped violently—
then snapped.
The attack passed—
but something else happened.
Emily blinked.
“…Wait… what?”
Kael staggered slightly.
But she was still standing.
“…She… redirected it?” Emily whispered.
Theodore’s eyes narrowed.
“…Partially.”
The figure paused.
Its form flickered.
Uncertain.
For the first time—
it did not immediately follow up.
Kael exhaled slo
