#WordWeavers 10.1 — Introduce your MC from the perspective of the antagonist. CW: Spoilers for a certain set of readers.

[I will let my antagonist speak for herself. This is in antagonist POV:]

"Director! Your Highness! Are you hurt?"

My vision swam, filled with blue and purple phosphenes; my head pounded as if it were split open. Maybe it was. I looked up, seeing armor, feeling a hand on my shoulder where I lay having slid into the gutter, trying to focus on a concerned expression on the praetorian's face. The implosion pop of an out-jump echoed in my ears, or was it in my short term memory?

"I said—" I shouted, regretting it instantly with a groan. "I said no guards helping me! This daemon is my quarry, mine alone!"

The crimson-feathered day angel fluttered back, causing the crowd on the street to retreat at the same time.

I barely levered myself up, gingerly touching my head. The back of my hand came back spotted with blood. Not only had I been struck with my crown, I'd been thrown head over heals by a combination of thaumaturgy and brute strength. This teenager, like most of my people, was half my height and a fifth my mass... but then I'd had my fingers in seeing her trained and educated, given titles and responsibility to match the potential her mother had brought to my attention.

She'd run away from it all.

I'd found her hiding under my nose, enrolled in my academy and sleeping with my adopted daughter, as her roommate. A roommate whom she'd rescued yesterday from blackmail and addiction by coordinating a sting operation to capture a crime boss. I'd not discovered her but for an act of friendship and courage.

I couldn't be more proud her training had stuck.

Yet, this student, a self-taught worker of impossible miracles accomplished beyond my greatest expectation, was not interested in further training. Why? She'd deduced my secret, and spat in my face. So shocked was I, I'd let her escape.

I'd locked down the city. Found her. I had needed to convince her.

So, what did she have the temerity to say when I cornered her on the street?

/"What don't you understand? I couldn't have been clearer! 'No' means no!"/

Then attacked. Nobody ever thought of attacking me, even when not surrounded by guards. Calculated to stun and flee, she threw me. That sent my crown flying. She'd caught it in a gravity bubble and looped it around at my skull. She ensured I'd temporarily be unable to read the vectors of her out jump from her halo. Like that, /bang!/. Gone.

I reached for the heavy gold circlet that lay in a noisome puddle. She had to be within a two block radius. As my vision cleared, I sensed something uncommonly miraculous...

I triangulated, turned. My eyes lifted to the News Building. That way. So wonderful to be young, powerful, and lacking experience. But not stupid. She knew if she jumped again, I'd follow. She'd deduced how long I'd be stunned.

Magnificent! She was magnificent. I smiled despite my pain, despite the awe projected by the muttering crowd who had seen a fight that would be all over the papers, perhaps talked about for years.

Of all my many students, I might yet have found someone who could save the world before I was driven to destroy it.

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