The air snapped.
Not like an explosion.
Like something inside reality had been cut cleanly in half.
Emily barely had time to react.
Her body moved on instinct—heat surging beneath her skin as she threw herself to the side—
A sharp, invisible force tore through the space she had just occupied.
The wall behind her ceased to exist.
No debris.
No collapse.
Just absence.
Emily hit the ground hard, breath knocked out of her.
“…Okay,” she gasped. “That’s—new—”
Theodore moved instantly.
Shadows surged outward in a controlled sweep, intercepting the next incoming distortion before it could reach them.
The air around the figure shimmered.
Recalibrating.
Adapting.
Kael didn’t hesitate.
She lunged forward.
Not toward the figure—
But to reposition.
Her movements were sharp, efficie
