The wind around him bent, compressing. His body blurred, one step, and the distance between him and the opposing leader vanished.
The boy's eyes widened just as Merlin's hand reached his collar. The air cracked, pressure, not violence, sending him flying backward into the shattered wall.
Merlin didn't follow. He turned, eyes scanning the rest of the field.
Leira had forced back another opponent, Dain maintaining the team's mana link, Renn's flames sweeping the perimeter with reckless precision.
Within minutes, the opposition began to retreat, their cohesion breaking.
Merlin exhaled slowly. "Hold position. Don't chase."
Renn turned, smirk faltering slightly. "You're not going to finish them off?"
"This isn't about finishing," Merlin said. "It's about control."
Leira nodded once. "He's right."
The forest quieted again. The relay crystal pulsed faintly, a sign that control had been established.
They waited.
Time bled slowly.
