Impact came like a storm breaking bone.
Selene didn't see the strike—she felt it.
A crushing force slammed into her ribs, lifting her off her feet and throwing her across the courtyard. Her back hit stone hard enough to rattle her vision, pain exploding through her chest in jagged waves that stole the air from her lungs.
For a moment—
She couldn't breathe.
Sound dulled into a distant hum. The battle—the roars, the snapping jaws, the cries of warriors—blurred into something far away, like it belonged to another world.
Not this one.
Not this moment.
Here, there was only pain.
Selene's fingers twitched against the ground, scraping against broken stone as she fought to drag air back into her lungs. It came in sharp, uneven bursts, each inhale cutting through her chest like glass.
Move.
The instinct was immediate. Urgent. Non-negotiable.
Move or die.
