The Conflict of Past and Present

Nikolai's eyes narrowed the moment he felt her move—like a blur. Mari's body sped up quickly. He tightened his muscles and twisted away from the edge of the blade, a flash of silver and red cutting across the air just before his throat.

'No matter how much she's changed, those movements aren't human...' 

Mari's movements felt eerie. Despite their extreme speed, her ability to turn and change her angles felt jarring and stiff.

'I can hear her bones grinding together as if two different parts were forced together.'

The truth was that the woman he might have held affection for in the past now looked nothing like her former self. Mari's face was the only part without various stitches and scars—the length of her arms was uneven, and her legs seemed to be from a different person.