The sky churned with lightning and shadow as the battle raged on. Elder Adaeze, the Storm Dragon, hovered above, his fists coiled with arcs of divine thunder. Below, Grand Elder William stood defiant, one arm lost, his body cracked and bleeding, yet his posture unbroken.
His shadow Qi surged erratically, flickering like a candle in a storm. His face was pale, but his eyes, though blinded by Adaeze's last strike, still burned with something far stronger than life.
Pride.
"I see it now," William whispered under his breath. "This is where I fall."
But not without meaning.
Not as prey.
His gaze turned not toward Adaeze, who readied another bolt of lightning, but toward a figure floating further back, elegantly fanning himself behind a wall of Spirit Qi. Elder Adrian of the Jeral Clan.
William's lips curled into a blood-stained grin.
Adaeze cocked an eyebrow. "Still trying to stand, old man? Let me finish it."
