She didn't answer. She just moved.
Her figure blurred, then snapped back into existence right in front of me. My body reacted before my brain caught up.
I shifted left on instinct—
—and the world went black for a heartbeat.
Too late.
When my vision slammed back, a razor-thin line of light filled my sight, so close I could see my own reflection trembling along its edge. The glint of her blade. Aiming straight for my eyes.
"You're too young for that miss.." I grunted.
Shadow surged up on command, dense and violent. The blade shrieked as it struck my barrier, sparks skittering across the room like fireflies. The impact shoved me back a full step, boots carving trenches into the floor.
I didn't waste the opening.
'Metamorphosis'
The shadows folded inward, swallowing me whole—bones snapping, muscles swelling, heat ripping through my veins.
This time, the transformation went far deeper than the last.
Clang.
My claw met her katana mid-swing.
