Kael kept punching.
The darkness did not change after the new count began. It did not answer his irritation, did not grow heavier, did not whisper in his ear, and did not try to make itself more frightening. That somehow made it more annoying. A monster at least had the decency to attack. A trap had mechanisms. A desert had heat, thirst, and miserable old men with knives. This place simply remained silent and senseless, taking away sight and dulling the rest until all he had left was his own breathing, his own movements, and the numbers he carved into his mind one strike at a time.
He reached ten thousand with his shoulders still loose enough to feel good.
