Karl's charge was like a wall of molten metal collapsing forward.
Each step sank deep into the earth, claws carving furrows in the cracked street. Heat rolled off him in waves, curling the air like it was trying to flee his presence.
Lucian didn't move right away. His stance shifted just enough—feet angled, shoulders low, eyes steady on the incoming dragon.
The moment Karl's claw came down, Lucian vanished.
Not in the blur of normal speed. Not in the jump of a teleport. He simply wasn't there.
Karl's strike smashed into the ground, sending a burst of shattered stone and molten dust up in a violent geyser. But Lucian's voice came from behind him.
"You're fast for your size."
Karl's head whipped around—Lucian stood just out of reach, the edges of his form bending, warping the light. The ground between them shimmered faintly, like heat haze, but colder, sharper.
