Christian moved his hand toward Anastasia's smooth, silver hair.
He barely used any strength.
His current body still felt foreign — overwhelming and unstable — and he wasn't trying to attack her.
He was simply patting her head.
There was no need for force.
At least… that was his intention.
But the moment his hand made contact?
It was like a miniature nuclear weapon had gone off.
The air cracked with invisible force, a shockwave rolling out from the touch.
Anastasia, of course, remained unaffected. Christian didn't feel a thing either — his body still overflowed with unnatural strength, after all.
But the world around them?
It wasn't so lucky.
Christian watched as Anastasia let out a small, tired sigh. She retracted whatever invisible attack had been hovering above him, and with that, the threat faded.
His power, the crisis, the distortion in time — all of it finally began to die down.
And the moment she pulled her power back, time itself clicked back into place.
