The royal chamber's heavy doors hung ajar, torchlight flickering across marble floors still slick with the remnants of earlier violence. Liam's eyes snapped open, chest heaving as if he had just broken the surface of deep water. For a split second, the disorientation clawed at him—'How long was I gone? Did it work?'—then his gaze locked on Valdora standing opposite him, mouth slightly agape in speechless shock.
Valdora recovered first, voice sharp with disbelief. "Just how did you manage to get back this fast?"
Liam didn't answer. The weight of his twin blades felt right in his hands again, familiar and hungry. He launched forward in a blur, muscles coiling with power he hadn't possessed moments ago. The speed stole his own breath. 'This… this is different.' Mid-leap, he flicked open his status window with a thought.
**Level: 800**
