Time seemed to slow down for a few moments. Ciona's field of vision seemed to be narrowing with each passing second, and the only thing she could focus on was Kizaer standing in front of her.
One, two, three steps, inhale, four, five, six steps, exhale, change of angle and balance point, inhale, flexing the oblique abdominal muscles, exhale. Ciona's body was pumping air and blood like a machine.
She could even hear the strong beats of her heart pounding in her ears.
Ciona's heart was burning so intensely that it felt like it and her entire body were on fire. The strain and demand of the constant rhythm of the Nascent Art Steps of Aeolus was a complex mix of accumulated effort and accumulated power.
