I took a moment to rest, letting my breathing settle as I drank some water. It was cool, grounding, and for a brief second, it almost fooled me into thinking I had more time than I actually did.
That was when someone approached me.
I didn't need to look up to know who it was. The presence alone was familiar enough.
It was Commander Lilia.
"That was a fast defeat, Shredica," she said, her tone calm but not entirely hiding her surprise. "I honestly didn't expect something like that from you."
I let out a short breath, half a sigh, half a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, that man pulled out a pretty nasty surprise. I didn't think I'd go down that fast either. It happened so suddenly I barely had time to process it. It took me completely off guard."
