The golden light of the throne room danced across the high dragonbone pillars, casting long shadows behind Rudra and Iris as they stood beneath the floating skill cores.
Their flickering radiance pulsed like the hearts of sleeping beasts—each one alive with power, waiting to be claimed.
But power was never simple.
Rudra stepped forward first, arms crossed, eyes sharp. The three skills floated before him: [Fiery Gaze], [Renewal Veins] and [Flameguard Shroud]. All glowing with emberlight. All tempting in different ways.
He narrowed his eyes at Fiery Gaze.
A vision of combat sprang to mind—he saw enemies outlined in golden-red, their bodies blooming with heat.
Subtle flickers near their joints hinted at movement before it even began.
'I could read their tension. Their next step. That moment before they commit to a swing... I'd see it coming,' he thought.
