Clark's shadow soared overhead once more, his black wings slicing through the sky like blades. Vanessa kept her eyes on him, every instinct screaming at her to stay alert, to dodge, to move.
But she didn't expect what came next.
From his pocket, Clark suddenly pulled out a small black device no larger than a deck of cards. His arm swung low, and with terrifying precision, he hurled it toward the ground.
Vanessa saw the throw and reacted instantly, leaping sideways in a sharp teleportation blur.
She made it.
Or so she thought.
The device didn't explode on contact like a normal grenade. It pulsed for half a second, then—
BOOM!
A violent blast of blue light burst from the point of impact, spreading out in a perfect dome of shimmering energy. It wasn't fire. It wasn't shrapnel. It was raw, surging electricity—rippling across the dome in sharp veins of lightning.
Vanessa was still in midair when the shockwave caught her.
