Cassandra stood in the center of the killing field, her hands clenched at her sides as concussive energy began building in her core. The air around her started to shimmer with barely contained force, small stones lifting from the ground as her power awakened fully for the first time in a year.
Kruel watched with mild interest, his massive frame relaxed despite being surrounded by the carnage he'd just created. "So," he said conversationally, "before I dissect you to discover what makes you special, do you have anything even mildly amusing to say? Some final words of defiance? A stirring speech about human courage?"
Cassandra's eyes met his, cold steel against predatory fire. "Yeah. I've got something."
She took a deep breath, power coiling in her muscles like a compressed spring.
"You talk too much."
