⠀ the change was so small that darius nearly mistook it for another trick of exhaustion . not surrender . not yet . nothing so clean … only the absence of resistance where resistance had lived so long that his own muscles had learned to expect it . the astonians were ⤸ ⠀⠀

⠀ clenched , ichor rich on his tongue . “ you—𝒀𝐎𝐔—hear me . ” a beat passed . his lips tightened , and the final words came quieter than everything before them . “ … , fuck . i’m—— “ the sentence didn’t finish , with a huff he stepped back several paces before ⤸ ⠀