The forest had grown deadly quiet, with only the soft rustle of the trees whispering in the morning breeze and the blood-soaked silence of the aftermath. Liam stood tall, the broken bodies of the powered enemies sprawled around him like discarded dolls. His white wings folded slowly into his back with a soft shimmer, vanishing beneath his skin as if they were never there. His face was unreadable.
He turned his head slightly—his eyes falling on the last man standing.
The shield user.
The same one who'd hidden behind his glowing blue barrier when the fight began. The only one who hadn't lifted a finger during the battle. And now, he knelt there frozen, legs trembling, sweat dripping down his forehead as he watched the young man who had just annihilated eight exogen-enhanced warriors without even breaking a sweat.
Liam's voice came low and steady. "Stand."
