No.
All that stolen magic, gone in an instant. Years of work, erased like it was nothing. But I didn’t have time to mourn it. The Radical moved, lunging to strike while I was disarmed.
Big mistake.
The Chela had been a tool. Not the source. My true power was my third-cycle haze.
Born of darkness. Tempered in revenge. And now, burning with the most vital instinct of all: survival.
I unleashed it.
My obsidian charge exploded outward, slamming into him like a living storm. He flew back, his body crashing to the ground like he’d been hit by a freight train.
The blackness didn’t stop. It seeped into him—a sick, inky strand winding through his core, corrupting him from within. He screamed, a guttural, bone-rattling sound that split the air. His ochre translation flickered, then convulsed, fighting to hold on.
But it was no use.
His light snuffed out like a candle in the wind, leaving behind nothing but a lifeless shell.
Before I could process the death in front of me, another vicious, searing jolt of pain tore through me. My torso caved in with the shock of it, and I staggered back, and I felt it—the shadows sinking in, digging deep.
Agony ripped through me, every nerve in my body screaming in protest. My vision blurred, the world spinning out of control as I fought to stay on my feet. The ground felt like it was tilting beneath me, and I dropped to one knee, gasping for air. My heart was pounding erratically, and something foul was burning through my veins.
I tried to fight it off, but the onslaught flared again, more intense this time, threatening to tear me apart from the inside out.
“Caden!” Emma’s voice cut through the fog, sharp and urgent. I forced my focus to snap in place, finding her standing a few feet away, her gaze locked on me. Her face was pale, her expression pulled tight with…worry? No, there was no way.
“Stay back,” I grounded out, struggling to keep myself steady. “I’m…fine.”
“Like hell you are!” she snapped—and then, without warning or hesitation, she unleashed her all. The air around her seemed to sputter as she drew on her full power, the blades of her Skindo flaring to life with a dark red, ominous glow. Her entire form shifted, dangerous and absolute, as the ground trembled beneath her.
“Get out of my way!” she yelled, her threat carrying over the din of battle. The remaining Radicals froze, unease rippling through them as they registered the shift—something ancient and untouchable rising in her presence. They had underestimated us—underestimatedher—and now they would die for their mistake.
Her scarlet smoke rose from her like a dragon unfurling from its nest, coiling and twisting through the air. The first one it touched choked instantly, his body seizing as her energy enveloped him, choking out his life before he even had a chance to scream. A fucking poisonous mist.
Exactly like the deadly Layers around Caerleon Manor.Why did that please me?
One by one, the others collapsed, each face echoing the last—features twisted in terror, mouths gaping in silent, futile pleas as Emma’s haze swallowed them whole.
It wasn’t a fight anymore; it was an execution.
I watched, as she tore through the hostiles with a ferocity I’d never seen before. Her face was a mask of concentration, her jaw set in determination. She didn’t just fight—she obliterated, her every move driven by a single, unyielding purpose: to protect me. And fuck, that did something to me.
By the time the mist receded, only a few were left standing, their confidence shattered, fear now written in every step they took. “Retreat!” one of the Radicals shouted, his voice filled with rage and desperation. He tried to rally his comrades, but it was too late. They were scattered, their formation broken, and Emma was relentless.
With a fierce cry, Emma launched herself into the fray. Her Skindo-blades were a blur, following her lead, and obliterating anyone who dared to come near. She cut through them like a scythe through wheat, her movements almost too fast to follow.
The battle was over in minutes, the last of the them falling to the ground with a dull thud. The world fell silent, and the only sound left was the heavy breathing of the two of us.
Emma turned to me, her features softening as she took in my condition. “Caden, you’re hurt,” she said, as she rushed to my side.
“I’ll be fine,” I grunted, struggling to come back upright. “Just need to get back to Crown and see a Healer.”
“Where are you hurt?” she asked, her voice tense.
“My chest. This asshole blasted me with some poisonous crap.”
Emma stared at me for a second, then without warning, she tore my shirt open.
