The only thing that saves me is how pathetic she must think the attempted attack is. Instead of dodging, she only stands there, head tilted as if puzzled.

But I manage to land with one hand clasped around her ankle, drawing out her essence. Power floods into me. More than I've ever felt. So much I think I might burst from the rush of it.

The windborne screams, a sound of genuine pain and surprise that buckles her knees and makes her fall to the ground. Her elemental hisses as Typhon catches it, pinning it to the ground before it can reach me.

I claw my way up the windborne’s body, mounting her as I grip her tighter, urging her power into myself in a mind-numbing rush.

"What are you doing to me?" she gasps, struggling against my grip. "Stop!"

I don't stop. I can't. The power flowing into me is intoxicating, filling me with strength I've never known. I pull harder, drawing more and more of her essence into myself.

Above us, the sky darkens rapidly, clouds gathering and swirling in an unnatural pattern. A deep rumble of thunder vibrates through the air, followed by the sharp crack of lightning that illuminates the battlefield in stark white.

I feel her reaching for a hidden blade in her armor. By instinct, I know I need to act now or I'll die. The power flooding me reacts before I can form a coherent thought. The air around the woman's head responds to my fear and alarm, pressing inward.

With so much air essence in my body, it feels like nothing more than a magical flinch—a reflexive tensing of the muscles. But I've never wielded so much power before, and the air essence gushes from me, enhancing the attack.

Warm liquid splatters my face, hands, and arms.

I flinch from the sudden splash, eyes blinking as I struggle to understand what I'm looking at.

Her head... it's a red ruin.

Dead. No stasis token. Just... dead.

"Oh, Gods," I breathe as I stumble back, face and hands covered in droplets of blood. Horror washes over me as I realize what I've done. I've killed her. Actually killed her.

Lightning cracks again, followed immediately by a thunderous boom that seems to echo my shock. The sky opens up, releasing a torrential downpour that washes over the battlefield, mixing with the blood at my feet.

A scream of rage tears through the air. The second windborne has seen his partner fall. He abandons his fight with Raith, rushing toward me with murder in his eyes.

I can't move. I can't process what's just happened. The dead windborne lies at my feet. Her blood covers me, staining me with the visceral knowledge of what I've just done.