Pride said keep attacking…
Find a weakness and overcome that barrier through persistence and skill. But wisdom said accept the temporary setback to try and understand the mechanism, to preserve what could be preserved.
Save Victor for now and deal with finding a way to hit Orion's ass later, when circumstances were better.
Victor mattered more than her pride…
That was the truth she had to accept even if it tasted like ash.
So Selphira took advantage of the pause in attacks to deliberately retreat. Creating distance that would provide a safety margin if Orion decided to attack treacherously during negotiation.
And she deactivated the fusion.
It felt like shedding a protective shell that had been pushing her forward, the power drained away. The enhanced senses faded a bit and the supernatural durability returned to 'merely exceptional' rather than legendary.
