The instant the second chime of the bell faded into the vaulted silence of the hall, Liam moved.
There was no warning breath, no shift of stance to announce intent. His body simply surged forward, low and sharp, boots skimming the stone as if the ground itself had ceased to resist him. Myst ignited within his core as controlled and focused flames bled from his limbs in tight streams, wrapping around his forearms and trailing behind him like burning ribbons pulled through the air.
Heat warped the space he passed through. The air hissed and folded inward, with the stone beneath his feet faintly glowing as his acceleration carved a scorched path straight toward Percy.
Percy reacted the moment Liam crossed the first third of the distance.
Cold answered heat.
