"Lila!" Alice's voice shrieked. She bolted forward, catching her before her head hit the snow. Without a second's hesitation, Alice gathered her in her arms, channeling healing energy with relentless focus. The crowd faded as Alice murmured Lila's name over and over, desperate to keep her stable until the medics arrived.
Chase had snapped, he was on a different level now and Isaac was barely keeping up. He was playing pure defense, pushing his brain to one hundred percent capacity — the very mind he had only recently unlocked after witnessing Chase shatter what Isaac had believed impossible. Yet despite being on the back foot, Isaac felt something unexpected — joy. Chase was six times stronger now, yet Isaac was happy. Chase thought of him as a worthy opponent. He wasn't alone anymore. He wasn't the strongest. For the first time in his existence, Isaac felt normal — able to lose. He didn't want to lose, but if he did, he wanted it to be like this — fighting at his best.
