Magnus Phoenix's palm struck the chest of the Lightning Clone with a muffled thunderclap, and the force of that blow rippled through the crackling body, sending waves of blue sparks scattering into the air.
The clone was driven backward several meters, its boots carving shallow trenches across the frost-hardened ground, while Magnus used that single exchange to seize the initiative.
Yet the clone was no fragile puppet.
The instant Magnus pressed his advantage, the figure of living lightning twisted with uncanny reflexes, its body bending as though guided by instinct rather than thought, and its leg whipped upward in a sharp kick aimed at the prince's ribs.
Through the telepathic link, Kiara experienced every movement as though she herself were split into two bodies.
