Ken reset his distance.
He didn't rush back in. Gave himself three full seconds — enough to let the shadow coat redistribute, enough to read what Zarek was doing with the directed pulses, enough to find the pattern in them.
There was always a pattern.
The directed pulses came from Zarek's leading hand — right hand, slightly forward, index finger extended in the direction of the pulse. A small tell. Barely visible. But Ken's eyes caught it on the second hit and by the third attempt he was already moving before the pulse arrived.
He sidestepped cleanly.
The pulse passed him.
Zarek adjusted — tried to track the movement mid-pulse — but the directional commitment was already made. You couldn't redirect a pulse once it was sent. That was the limitation.
Ken had found the edge of the ability.
Now he pressed it.
⸻
He came forward again.
