Jayden did not answer. Her lips remained pressed together, her gaze fixed on them with that unnatural golden brilliance. The warmth of the Fragment of Pride pulsed stronger around her, tightening like a coil around her chest. Slowly, deliberately, she reached behind her back and drew a massive sword. The weapon was enormous, almost as tall as she was, yet she gripped it effortlessly in a single hand.
Mira's eyes widened, disbelief frozen on her face. "I… how—?"
Kiyomi's heart skipped a beat. Warning bells rang in her head as she instinctively stepped back, her senses screaming danger. "Mira, watch out!"
Before either of them could react further, Jayden's form shimmered. She seemed to blur at the edges, and with a fluid, almost inhuman motion, she vanished from her spot.
