Five minutes. Kael kept repeating the limit because everything else was becoming difficult to remember. There had been a reason to activate the Rune, an enemy he needed to kill, and something he had to do afterward. He could still reach those thoughts, but holding them together required an effort that grew harder with every breath.
The arena had turned red. The spectators, the distant walls, and the enormous scorpion before him remained visible beneath the color, though none looked quite solid anymore. Cracks crossed the ground where he could not remember seeing damage, and the air trembled around anything that moved.
Akrab looked fractured. Lines ran through her claws, legs, and armored body, some so fine he could barely distinguish them and others deep enough to suggest her shell was already coming apart. He followed them with his eyes, suddenly certain that he could break something which had resisted him for so long.
