“I saidno!”
August gasped, eyes snapping open as a surge of magic poured over from memory to reality. It pressed against the massive expanse of the tear, forcing it outward.
Out, not in. He was making it worse.
No. Focus.
He was strong enough to do this.
August reached with his magic again, searching for the edges, and when it still wasn’t enough, he drew from the Hollow Dark, dragging its energy into his veins. He strained, reaching out and out and out until he could feel the veil under his fingertips. Jagged. Hungry.
Impossible.
Too much. It was too much.
Felix stepped in front of him, eyes intense, hands pressing to August’s temples. His irises glowed faintly, the dark blue of a listener. The only colour left in him.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said inside August’s mind. “It’s alright. You can stop.”
August scowled.I almost have it. Back up.
He clutched the veil’s edges, his power wrapping tight around them.
“You need to stop, Auggie.” With one hand still anchoring the connection, Felix brushed a thumb over August’s cheek and held it up for him to see the smear of viscous, inky black.
Was that coming fromhim?
August blinked, his focus slipping for only a moment.
“It’s going to kill you,” Felix said.
But August kept going. He had to.
He pulled at the tear, but it fought back.
He was splitting in two.
Pain shouldn’t have existed here. It never had before. But suddenly it burned through him. Searing. Tearing. His body was twisting itself inside out.
Felix’s hand fell away as he took a step back, eyes round.
August braced himself, gritted his teeth, and pulled again with everything he had.
The veil shuddered.
Then, finally, the ragged edges gave. Inch by inch, he dragged them back, his entire body trembling from the effort.
Almost there.
The ends of the rift were in sight now.
With one last tug, he drew them in until all that was left was a doorway, just big enough for them to walk through. He released his hold and called back his magic, gasping and shaking, heart hammering in his chest.
Felix was still on his feet, but his shoulders sagged and his face was deathly pale. He looked ready to collapse.
The next part would be worse.
August took his hand and after a shallow, trembling breath, pushed through the seam of the tear.
