A Shift in Balance

Consciousness arrived without sound. I leaned against a slope of draped cloth, my joints fixed in an awkward recline. Across the fold stood another figure, green-haired and rigid, blade extended in a motionless stance. Slowly, I tested the tension in my right fingers. They answered. I adjusted my grip around the cross-hilted blade resting against my shoulder, turning the edge slightly until the dark steel settled with quiet precision. My gaze remained level, measuring the still air and the silent opponent before me.