"Fourth Petal. Whisper of the Void — activate."
On the outside—nothing changed.
But inside…
Maren flinched.
At first, barely noticeable. As if she'd suddenly lost her balance—though her stance was steady. Her eyes clouded. The hand forming a water technique seal fell open. The Qi within her... collapsed.
"Wha—?"
She never finished.
It wasn't pain. It wasn't even an attack she could sense. It was… dissolution. Slow. Silent. Like someone was unraveling the threads of her soul and scattering them in random directions. The meridians that had moments ago carried powerful Qi—now refused to obey. As if they'd lost their rhythm. As if… they no longer recognized their master.
The water beneath her feet rippled. Not in response to her will—but because it no longer listened to her.
"No…"
Calista watched in silence.
"You feel it?" she finally asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Maren staggered back a step—and immediately tripped.
