North called out to me, her voice filled with concern. "You can take a break, Steve."
I let out a long breath and dropped to the ground, sitting hard on my butt. My body felt heavy, and so did my thoughts.
"Damn it," I muttered, rubbing the sweat from my forehead. "This skill is going to kill me, not just from the strain, but from the boredom too."
North gave me one of those looks that seemed to see right through me. I pretended not to notice, but her gaze lingered.
Then it hit—BOOM!
The sound was deafening, so loud it almost burst my eardrums. The ground trembled beneath me, and in that instant, I knew another shockwave was coming.
Instinct pushed me to leap up and defend, but before I could move, North had already stepped forward. Her blades cut through the air with sharp precision, slicing the shockwave in half before it could reach us.
I couldn't help but chuckle, even in the chaos. "Thanks, sister-in-law."
"You're welcome," she said with a small smile.
