Valeria moved without a sound. There was no flourish, no dramatic roar announcing her arrival, no buildup that warned her enemies of their impending doom.
One moment, she stood, surrounded by fire-manes and abyss-tainted predators, and the next, it felt as if the very world was tearing itself apart around her.
The ground exploded beneath her feet.
A thunderous boom shook the Lion's domain as Valeria surged forward, propelled by a meticulously compressed burst of mana that didn't leak, scatter, or waste itself on unnecessary spectacle.
The shockwave alone flattened nearby charred trees, splintering the brittle trunks into shrapnel that scattered outward. Yet this devastation was merely collateral damage, a byproduct of her movement rather than an intended consequence.
