I don't know how it happened.

One minute, the creature was charging toward us, its claws scraping the dirt, and the next, it felt like the world had snapped in two. I couldn't even explain what I was doing. But I felt it—the air around me thickening, time stretching. Everything slowed down, and I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe.

Lyra's voice, distant and soft, barely cut through the fog in my mind. I had no control over it. My thoughts raced as I saw the creature's claws just inches from her, ready to tear into her. Don't move, I thought. Please, don't move.

The creature froze.

I looked up, not sure if I was dreaming. I was aware of everything around me—the quiet hum in the air, the sound of my heartbeat, the sudden clarity of the moment. But all I could think was I've stopped it. I couldn't tell anyone what was happening, or why, but I had stopped time. Even if it was just for a second.

I didn't know what I was doing. I wasn't even sure I could do it again. But I wasn't going to let it hurt them.

Then Kai moved, like he always does. Calm, collected, and... powerful.

"Stop," he commanded. His voice didn't just carry. It commanded. And the creature listened.

I don't know how he did it. I don't know how any of this is happening. But for a brief moment, everything was still. And I—I—was the one who made it happen.

But I wasn't done. Not yet.