But worse than the pain was the emotional impact of the blow. For a moment that stretched into subjective hours, Adam felt himself fragmenting—not physically, but psychologically. The absorbed fire in his veins flickered like a candle in a hurricane as his concentration wavered. Doubt crept in around the edges of his consciousness, whispering that perhaps Odin was right, perhaps the chaos he represented would fail to defeat order.
The All-Father sensed his opponent's momentary weakness with the instincts of a predator that had been hunting gods since the dawn of creation. Sleipnir wheeled around for another pass, but this time Odin dismounted with fluid grace, his boots striking the crystal floor with sounds like tolling bells.
