Aether paused, his breath ragged but deliberate, the exhaustion of the battle tempered by his intense focus. He hovered mid-air, his body bathed in the afterglow of exertion. The world below seemed frozen as he observed his fallen foes sprawled across the ground, their figures motionless yet emanating faint traces of resilience.
"That was their running speed?" he muttered, his voice barely audible over the fading hum of energy in the air. Slowly, he descended, each movement deliberate, his form gliding with an almost spectral grace.
"How long was it—one second? Two?" Aether continued, his voice laced with disbelief. "It felt like an instant."
His observation was cut short as the figures below stirred, rising with unnatural speed. The faint glow of Rigor's flame still clung to his body, though half of it had been extinguished, leaving embers flickering defiantly.
Aether's lips twisted into a humorless smile. "Hah," he breathed.
