Moonbeam and Rowan clashed midair.
Their swords screamed as they slashed at each other again and again.
Steel met steel in a relentless storm.
They flew upward, collided, separated, then collided once more.
Moonbeam attacked ferociously.
Rowan blocked every strike.
Rowan countered just as sharply.
Moonbeam blocked in return.
Yet there was a difference.
Rowan wasn't just defending.
He was reading.
Every slight hesitation.
Every imperfect angle.
Every fraction of an opening.
Whenever Moonbeam exposed even the smallest gap, Rowan's blade flashed toward it.
But Moonbeam's skin remained unpierceable.
They crashed back to the ground.
BOOM!
The earth shattered beneath their feet.
Cracks spread outward as dust and debris exploded into the air.
Moonbeam opened his mouth.
Dark energy condensed rapidly, swirling violently before erupting toward Rowan.
Rowan didn't move.
"This time," he said calmly,
"I won't dodge.
