The moment those words left Liam's mouth, the atmosphere inside the cavern changed completely.
Until now, he had been reacting.
Reading.
Learning.
Allowing the witch to dictate the rhythm of the battle while he adapted to her illusions.
That phase was over.
The old witch sensed it immediately.
The smile that had slowly returned to her face stiffened as an instinct buried deep within her screamed at her to create distance.
She obeyed without thinking.
Her frail body leaped backward with surprising agility, disappearing behind layers of intertwining vines as dozens of illusions blossomed around her once more. Ten identical figures appeared at different heights inside the cavern, each one carrying the same twisted smile and the same pair of glowing green eyes.
"You're dangerous…" she muttered, her voice coming from every direction at once. "Far more dangerous than I expected."
Liam stood in the center of the chamber with his eyes still closed.
