Nicholas stood with his crystal sword raised overhead, the silver runic script still blazing along its length. But something was changing. The overwhelming energy that had been radiating from his enhanced form began flowing inward, drawn toward the blade like water spiraling down a drain.
"Do you know," Nicholas said, his voice carrying conversational tone despite the lethal tension filling the training ground, "that a mana core's power isn't really a true measure of someone's strength?"
Klaus tilted his head, genuinely curious. The question carried weight that suggested deeper understanding of power dynamics than most practitioners ever achieved.
"Explain."
