Astrid lay on the ground, the sound of the few classmates laughing echoing in her ears. Humiliation burned hotter than any spell.
She pushed herself up, her knuckles white where she gripped the dirt. The playful, mocking smirk was gone, replaced by a cold, murderous fury.
Her muscles tightened, a faint golden energy wrapping around her body like a shroud. She rushed toward Selyne, her movements no longer a playful dance but a brutal, straight line of attack.
She leaped high into the air, her leg a blur of motion, and launched a powerful kick aimed right at Selyne's head.
Selyne, who still had the blood armor coating one fist, barely managed to dodge.
The kick whistled past her ear, the force of it making her hair fly back. She felt a sharp sting on her cheek from the displaced air alone.
What came next was a relentless barrage. Astrid was a storm of fists and feet, each blow aimed to break, to punish. She was no longer toying with her.
