A Brighter Day

Vincent sighed, lowering his head slightly. His breathing was uneven, his posture just slightly off, and his eyes flickered with something between exhaustion and frustration. "That was quite the hit you gave me," he muttered, rolling his shoulders as if trying to reset his balance. "I can still feel everything spinning, and I can barely focus on you."

As he spoke, the hardened armor around his face cracked apart, fragments falling in small clinks against the shattered ground. Beneath it, his skin was bruised, the earlier impacts leaving their mark. Yet, even as his body showed signs of damage, his voice still carried an arrogant confidence. "I still have much to learn about my Ikona," he admitted, flexing his fingers as if feeling out his power again, "and how it can take me to new heights."