Raze had been locked in a cycle of attack, retreat, and forced improvisation, his mind working through every possibility as he searched for even the slightest advantage. Gizin's overwhelming presence left him with the sinking feeling that each option he considered was either too weak or too slow. He had fought his share of impossible battles, but this one felt uniquely suffocating, like trying to find air while drowning beneath the weight of divine power.
Then, without warning, a shape burst into the space between him and the advancing clones, swift, decisive, and radiating with light so sharp that for a heartbeat Raze thought the fight itself had split open. Long, familiar hair swept behind her, and Raze's eyes widened in instant recognition.
"Safa!" Raze's voice cracked through the chaos. He hadn't been expecting anyone to intervene, certainly not her, not here, not against this kind of foe.
