A kick came at my head, and I barely dodged it. But he caught me when I went low, slamming a fist into my gut that took away all of the air in my lungs.
“Now, here’s the thing,” he explained, as if the world wasn’t burning around us, not needing to catch his breath while I wheezed. “You’ve been digging into things you shouldn’t, and that’s causing a bit of a problem. We heard about the Crowns Club—let me tell ya, my boss waspissed.He wasn’t planning to let me come play yet, but I do have to thank you.”
I shoved out my hand, sending a stream of fire his way. He dodged before my flames even erupted.
“I’ve been locked up forwaytoo long.” His elbow connected with my jaw and sent me sprawling again. “You gotta stretch your legs once in a while, or it’ll drive youcrazy. I’m sure you understand.”
Glitch backed up, finally standing still as I staggered to my feet. A utility belt sat around his waist, and he reached into a satchel before pulling out a handful of multicolored pellets. He threw them out, and mini explosions that looked like fireworks littered the ground. I burned away the bulk of them, but still fell on my ass from the force. He was playing with me—I was his toy.
I’d never felt so weak.
He was on me again, a boot connecting with my face. I tasted asphalt in my mouth, and smoke poured out of me as the watch on my wrist flared, beeping frantically. My head went dizzy as the heat built with my rage, consuming me from the inside out.
I have to do it.
When he waltzed up to me again, standing over me with that crazed grin, a harsh ringing sounded in my ears. The world tilted, and my flames started to turn a shade of blue I hadn’t seen before.
I don’t have a choice.
“Oh?” He cocked his head with a pout. “That looks…hot.”
I stood, slow, building up the heat in my core. There were few times I’d experienced true heat before—the VIA loved to test my endurance, see how far I could push my limit. At seven-hundred degrees, my skin would turn red, and start to blister. Seven-fifty, and my muscles would start to take on damage. Eight hundred was my limit; only a few extremely talented Variants would be able to manage the damage. Anything over that, and I’d succumb to the burnout.
The watch on my wrist started to melt; the last numbers it showed were six-hundred-and-ninety, in bright red.
This is fine.
I was close, but I didn’t have a choice, did I? This guy was dangerous, and I had no doubt that he could have killed me already if he wasn’t having so much fun. I didn’t want to think of what he’d do to the other Heroes, to Nightmyre, toAlex.
That was the trigger, the moment my flames turned cerulean, and my lungs started to char. It was a pain I’d experienced before; I could handle it. The difference this time was that I wouldn’tstopit. Not until he was dead, and by that time, I would be too.
Was Joon okay with it, too? When he burned? When he died?
Even though my skin singed, starting to reveal the muscle underneath, and my insides boiled, I stood firm. I wanted to cry, scream, claw at my insides. But I fixated on him, raising an arm that burned with blue flames. They whipped around me, spinning, swirling in a small tornado.
“What’s the range on,” he waved a hand in the air, “all this? Are we talking feet or blocks?”
“We’ll have to find out.” My voice didn’t come out strong; it was a hoarse whisper, like my vocal chords had started to burn away, too.
He grinned. “Sounds fun—let’s play.”
Flames surged; my suit burned away to reveal blackened skin; and Glitch bent his knees in preparation. Right when I felt it, when I was sure I’d reached my absolute limit, a wall of water surged between us. For a moment, I flickered, jerking away like drowning was the worst that could happen right now. I could see him through the strange wall, his body shifting with the massive wave—were there any Heroes in Nightmyre that could use water, like this?
I wasn’t sure, but the temperature started to die down as we both stood in confusion. Glitch turned to the side, and his body went rigid. I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus as I followed hisgaze. That’s when I saw her—Alex, with her arms spread wide, those horns lighting up a blue that mimicked my fire, and tears streaming down her face. Why was she crying?
“Clever,” Glitch murmured, his eyes scanning her. “Good girl.”
An illusion.
The water rippled, and the edges faded, as if it wasn’t sure where the mass should end. Glitch turned back to me, that smile a touch less insane as he waved.
“Looks like playtime is over, so consider this a warning. Splinter isn’t done yet. I’ll be seeing you real soon.”
The water collapsed, disappearing into nothing, and he was gone. Silence echoed in the street, and the roar of my flames was the only thing left. Everything was empty—small fires scattered on the ground, bursting from trash cans, litter on the streets, and the occasional spray of blood. Bodies had fallen, and the helicopters overhead started to circle wider, likely searching for what was left of Splinter.
I can stop now.
Tendons and bone showed through my palms, flesh split and charred, and I was still burning. My knees hit the ground, but I didn’t try to fight it, or pat it away. This was something I couldn’t stop, couldn’t control. I’d gone too far.
