Story:

Kicho’s hand settled on her sword. “Perhaps,” she said, “you should reconsider how you address—”

Violet reached for her mana. Nothing answered. Her next breath caught.

She tried again, instinctively seeking the familiar inner current, the effortless gathering of shadow around her fingers.

Nothing. It felt like drawing breath underwater.

Beside her, Kicho went still. Their eyes met. You too?

Violet searched inward with sudden urgency. No answering warmth. No pressure building beneath her ribs. Even the smallest shaping spell refused to form.

“Ravencrest,” she whispered.

Her hand remained empty.

The leading miko noticed. A slight smile touched her mouth.

“Confiscate their weapons,” she ordered. “Take them alive.”

“Wait!” Mai cried.

Kicho drew her family katana. Steel rang through the courtyard. “Stay behind us,” she told the twins.

Without mana, the blade felt heavier than it should.

The techniques she had practiced for years depended on mana flowing through muscle, steel, and movement together. Now she had only her hands, her footing, and an opponent who plainly suffered no such restriction.