A strange hush fell over the coliseum.
The crowd—moments ago roaring at the flashes of magic and fury—now held its breath. The chaos had vanished. No more fire, no more thunder, no more resistance. Only eerie silence.
On the arena floor, Klea stood still like a statue, her wide eyes vacant, her limbs frozen. Across from her, Morpheus strolled forward with mocking ease.
He even turned to the crowd and waved—his expression smug, as though he'd already won.
Then he raised his arm.
BAM!
The crack echoed through the coliseum like a thunderclap. His palm struck Klea across the face with a brutal slap. Her body flew across the arena like a ragdoll, slamming hard into the stone floor. Blood sprayed from her mouth. She coughed violently, eyes blinking back into awareness as the sting grounded her into reality.
But she barely had time to breathe.
