> [System Sync Surge – Initiated]
Warning: Neuromuscular strain imminent]
The world snapped into sharper focus. Every droplet of mist, every twitch of a claw, every heartbeat — his own and his enemies' — became painfully clear.
Lior moved.
Not with speed alone, but with precision so exact it bordered on unnatural. His blade was a streak of silver, cutting through the neck of one beast before its body even hit the ground from the last swing.
A wolf lunged for Kael's blind side — Lior was already there, slamming his elbow into its skull with enough force to crack bone.
"Gods," Kael breathed, watching the body crumple. "He's—"
"Don't look, fight!" Elyra's voice snapped him back.
The circle was no longer defensive. It was a storm. The beasts, sensing the shift, faltered for the first time.
But the System's power was a burning brand in Lior's muscles. Each movement felt as though it was tearing him apart from the inside, nerves screaming in protest. His vision shimmered with red at the edges.
> [20 seconds remaining]
He cut low, severing tendons. Twisted mid-swing, reversed grip, stabbed clean through a throat. Elyra's arrows whistled past him, pinning any that tried to flank. Ryn took the opening to drive his spear through a massive wolf's chest, wrenching it free in a spray of black blood.
They were winning.
> [10 seconds remaining]
But then the largest of the beasts — a hulking alpha with a split jaw and glowing, fungal antlers — pushed through the mist. Its roar was so deep it rattled their teeth. The lesser creatures scattered at its arrival.
> [Surge timer: 6… 5… 4…]
Lior didn't think. He became motion. A blur that slammed into the alpha before it could take a step closer. His blade carved deep into its shoulder, the impact sending a shockwave of pain through his own body.
> [1 second remaining]
The alpha's jaws clamped down on his forearm. Agony exploded up to his shoulder—
> [Surge ended. Backlash initiated.]
The System's power cut out. His body felt suddenly leaden, muscles trembling. The alpha's weight pressed him into the earth, its breath hot and foul.
He realized, in that heartbeat, that without the System, killing it might be impossible.