Annalise's voice quivered, soft and uncertain."I… I don't understand," she said, taking a hesitant step back. "W–What act are you talking about?"
Sebastian just sighed. It wasn't a dramatic sigh, not one of anger or exhaustion, more like disappointment. The kind you give a child who still thinks peek-a-boo is clever.
'Still pretending,' he thought. 'You really don't know when to quit.'
He raised his arm lazily, azure mana flickering along his fingertips, and without a word, he threw Sacha.
The glass blade spun through the air like a streak of blue lightning, cutting through the red-leafed forest with a high, singing hum.
Annalise yelped, stumbling back. "W–Wait!"
Her hands shot up instinctively, blue mana bursting to life. Dozens of thin strings materialized around her weaving through the air like spider silk, ready to intercept the incoming weapon. Her control was sharp, beautiful even.
But not fast enough.
