The guard charged—boots pounding against the tiled floor, each thud echoing like a heartbeat carved into stone.
Avin exhaled.
From the core of his body, mana surged upward, spiraling through his veins like a living current. It burned cold through his chest, slipped into his arms, and spread like liquid fire to his eyes and ears.
And then the world… slowed.
The pounding footsteps dulled into muffled drums, drawn-out and heavy. He could hear everything—the grind of the man's boots, the tremor in his breath, the faint thrump of a heart swelling with rage.
Time rippled.
Red translucent silhouettes began to appear in the air—afterimages of the guard's movements, stretched and stacked one after the other, fading toward Avin like echoes through glass. They flickered at first, but each flicker felt like a heartbeat of the universe, mapping every future step.
Avin's lips parted. His voice came out a whisper, tinged with disbelief and awe."…Chrono."
