The moment the countdown ended, the world erupted. The biting wind, the endless snow.. it all vanished, replaced by the singular, searing focus of combat.
But Ava didn't charge in first like Jayden thought she would. She didn't adopt a formal stance. Instead, she stepped forward with an easy grin and extended her closed fist towards him, a universal gesture of sportsmanship, a pre-fight tap of gloved knuckles.
Jayden, respecting the unspoken rule, raised his own fist to acknowledge hers. But in that moment of letting his guard down, Ava's hand suddenly flared with light.
A brilliant, sapphire-blue light pulsed in her palm, condensing in a nanosecond.
And unexpectedly, a sharp, electric hiss, a beam of pure energy shot from her hand, aimed directly at his chest.
Jayden's instincts screamed—he twisted sideways, the shot sizzling past his ribs and scorching a trail across the snow behind him. His boots dug into the frozen earth as he skidded back, breath puffing white.
