I let out a slow breath and straightened my posture.
Up until now, every movement I'd made had been reactive. Defensive. Careful. I was measuring them, reading them, and I was practically letting them believe that what they were seeing was the full extent of what I could do. That the strain in my breathing, the blood on my skin, the way I was pacing my mana meant I was already being pushed to my limit.
That was a mistake on their part.
Because the truth was simple.
I had only been playing around.
Ayuru trembled lightly in my hand, not from hunger this time, but anticipation. The mana she was drawing from me shifted in quality, becoming more focused and much more refined. It stopped being a flood and turned into a steady, crushing current.
The leader noticed immediately.
Her eyes narrowed, pupils thinning even further. Her smile faded—not into fear, but into something sharper. Recognition.
"So that's it," she said quietly. "You were holding back."
I didn't answer.
