FIA
Something in his expression hardened at that.
The air shifted again.
Magic moved fast, distorting the space around him, and then there were three of him, each one identical, each one watching me with the same cold focus.
I didn't hesitate.
The broken restraints lifted off the floor before I consciously reached for them, pulled by the same force that had torn them apart. Metal twisted in the air, with the sharp edges catching the light as they shot forward.
Faster than any throw.
They drove straight into the nearest one, punching through his chest with enough force to carry him back and pin him to the wall behind him.
For a second, he stayed there.
Then he dissolved.
Gone like he had never been real.
A fake.
The word settled in my head as the body on the wall disappeared, leaving nothing behind but the mark of impact and the quiet proof that I had wasted energy on something that was never real.
I didn't get time to sit with it.
