Be it Kael or the shadow, both were breaking.
"You could end this," the shadow said, breathless now in a way that shouldn't have been possible for something made of darkness. "One more strike. I can feel you weakening."
"So can I feel you."
Kael's voice came ragged, but steady. He drove another blow home — the shadow barely twisted enough to avoid losing whatever passed for its throat, the claws instead raking a fourth tear along its collarbone.
It staggered.
For the first time, it didn't immediately recover.
Though broken, both refused to yield. Hence, for the first time in a long while, the silence stretched.
Kael heaved as he stood, his strength waning. He could see the state of the shadow. Hence, he could tell that it didn't fare any better than him.
Perhaps even worse.
However, despite that, he couldn't bring himself to act.
Something inside him warned against acting, as a force inside him prevented him from delivering the killing blow.
