Hours had passed before anyone acknowledged it.
Trafalgar had remained inside the Step the entire time, moving as if the boundaries of the platform no longer mattered. Monsters came, were cut down, and vanished into residue without ever slowing his pace. Pulse Rank creatures, all of them. Predictable. Limited. Enough to keep the body working without demanding restraint. Bartholomew had stopped participating long ago, retreating to the rear while Trafalgar continued alone, immersed in motion as if the space itself had narrowed to nothing but distance and timing.
Now, there was nothing left.
