Kai's chest rose and fell in ragged gasps. His arm still tingled from the previous hit, but the faint pulse of the arena's heartbeat urged him forward. This was it: Now or never. He stepped off the rough stone floor, muscles coiling. Magnus was up—shaking, but alive. A low growl still echoed through the arena, resonating in every pore, a thunder in the bones.
Kai's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing, Magnus?" he thought, voice too loud to say aloud. The opponent hadn't done anything normal—he seemed to feed off that thump—the mysterious heartbeat. Kai clenched his fist, grit under fingernails. He couldn't afford to wait. If Magnus got any stronger, this was going to end badly. Taking a steadying breath, Kai moved forward. Every step felt wrapped in tension—each heartbeat throbbed in his veins.
