“The Void won’t help you now, friend,” he mocked, twisting his hand, and his snake constricted harder.
Rynna’s swords followed an instant later, their edges singing as they cut through the neck of the man who had plagued them, both past and present.
“Hah.” She glanced between the decapitated body, still held upright by Kaelith’s writhing snakes, and the head lying on the ground, its mouth frozen open in a silent scream.
She frowned, then. “He was already dead before this.”
Kaelith tilted his head, the snakes loosening slightly around the limp form. “You think he can come back again?”
Rynna nodded, her jaw clenched. “He already did it once.” She paused, her eyes flicking to the head. “But...without a body? That would make it a lot harder.”
“Should I eat it?” He asked, jaw dropping low.
She pursed her lips, unsure if he was joking. “That won’t be necessary.”
Instead, she reached deep within, pulling another sliver of the fire she had unleashed against the horde earlier. It was easier this time, sparking to life in her palm, a fierce, eager flame that danced across her skin. A small smile tugged at her lips as she stepped toward the corpse.
“Seems you have many new tricks.” Kaelith’s serpents withdrew, slithering back into the dark folds of his sleeves, allowing the body to slump forward.
“So, it seems.” Rynna placed her burning hand against the corpse and let the fire spread.
Licking up the body with unnatural speed, the flames devoured the flesh in an instant.
“Though not new,” she added softly. “We’re just closer to the end now.” She raised her gaze, searching his face. “And I find myself caring less and less about the Rules, despite the consequences.”
She could see the question on his lips when the severed head began screaming.
The sound that tore free wasn’t human. It knifed through the clearing, a keening wail like something ripped straight from the Void. The corpse spasmed, lifeless eyes flying open—emptied, yet blazing with raw, searing pain. It writhed, convulsing against itself, and the hollow sockets bulged as shadows welled up inside, swelling outward until the darkness devoured what little remained.
Kaelith stood by, a slow, satisfied smile spreading across his face. “Well, that’s definitely new.”
“Gross.” Rynna exhaled, wiping her hand on her pants.
Her eyes darted around the battlefield, scanning the trees for any sign of Fenn or the other Hollow-born. Her heart beat faster as she counted ten bodies littering the ground.
“There,” Kaelith said, nodding to their left. “He’s done well on his own.”
Rynna followed his gaze to where Fenn was striding toward a massive tree, his hand outstretched, fingers splayed. Pinned against the trunk was one of the Demons, held fast by a column of compressed air so dense it shimmered. The creature sagged in place, gripping the spear with bloodied fingers, its blackened flesh peeling away as the weapon’srazor-sharp point dug into its palm. Its other arm lay severed on the ground beneath it, twitching in the dirt like a discarded husk.
“Let’s go.” She was already moving toward Fenn, her pulse beginning to ease, until the air behind him suddenly rippled, a distortion rending through the empty space.
In an instant, it parted to reveal a yawning emptiness, black and hungry.
What?She narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of it, when a blade of shadow exploded from the opening, striking Fenn from behind.
“No!” Rynna stumbled forward as the tip burst through his ribs before he could react.
Kaelith’s arm caught her before she could hit the ground. She reached for her Will—teleport, get to Fenn—but the world slipped away from her grasp, her mind too splintered by what she had just seen. With a ragged cry, she wrenched free of Kaelith’s grip, legs already pumping as she tore toward Fenn, his name ripping from her throat.
Then, thick, meaty hands emerged from the swirling hole, latching under Fenn's arms and hauling him toward the gaping void.
“Fenn!” Rynna screamed as she ran, her body bending to avoid the deadly crystalline spikes all around her, their poisoned tips gleaming under the dim forest light.
As she broke through the limit of the field, her eyes flashed up toward the one pinned against the tree.
The air that had held the creature was already dissolving, vanishing in Fenn’s absence. Freed, the undead Hollow-born dropped nimbly to the ground, shaking out its remaining arm with a grimace. Its dead eyes swept the clearing before it grabbed the severed arm from the dirt and cast a final, leering grin at Rynna, teeth piercing.
Almost there,she told herself, sprinting hard. She vaulted over the sprawled body of a fallen volunteer, his eyes glassy and unseeing, and reached for the place where the portal still flickered.
