Theo's feet slammed against the arena floor with a force that cracked the tiles beneath her. A shockwave burst outward, dust lifting in a circular ripple around her.
Eric barely had a second to widen his eyes before she was on him.
Her falchion arced toward his ribs in a blur, faster than he remembered, faster than she had ever been. He jerked his jian up to block, but the impact sent him stumbling three steps back and his arms trembled from the raw force of it.
This wasn't the Theo he knew. This wasn't even the Theo he thought he knew. And she didn't give him a second to breathe.
Suddenly, Theo vanished from his line of sight, only to reappear at his flank, dragging her blade against the stone and sparks rode up, trailed like a comet.
Her second strike came from the side, and her blade carved a violent gouge through the ground where he had been standing, with a tremor running around the arena. Eric barely managed to twist out of the way.
