A storm given flesh.
His eye is blazing, teeth bared, and every muscle coiled for violence.
Zadeus snatches a sword from one of the guards, the steel singing as it leaves the sheath. The fight erupts in a blur of swinging metal and clashing blades that rings off the walls like tolling bells.
Zadeus has the size advantage, with his longer reach is longer and heavier strikes, but he’s spent decades commandingrather than fighting. Those years of relying on others have made him sloppy. His footwork is lazy, and his guard slow to recover.
Xeni lacks the span and bulk, but his shorter reach is made up for in pure desperation. He meets every strike with precision—dodging low, twisting under the blade, countering with quick, vicious slashes that draw blood across his father’s arms and chest. His movements are fluid, fueled by years of suppressed rage finally unleashed.
They circle each other in tight, predatory loops, with boots scraping concrete and breaths coming in sharp pants. Zadeus barks a command for his soldiers to stay back, and they freeze at the edge, weapons raised but obedient.
Everyone watches as father and son tear into one another.
Every cut Zadeus lands over Xeni’s arms and face is answered with wounds of his own. Red lines bloom across pale skin, and the coppery scent of blood mixes with the stale air of the tunnels. Xeni burns with a fury that makes the shadows seem to retreat, his knife flashing as he presses the attack.
Cato grabs my arm, pulling me toward Sakane and Ego, who huddle against the wall, but I don’t tear my eyes away from the fight. I’m keenly aware of the guards behind us, held at bay only by their leader’s command.
Exhausted and bleeding, father and son circle one another in tight, weary loops, while their breaths come in heavy pants. Zadeus snarls, his voice rough and frayed at the edges.
“You’ll never best me,” he taunts, though the words rasp with exhaustion. “You aren’t stronger thanme.”
“No,” Xeni says in breathless agreement, chest heaving as he straightens. His shoulders are squared despite the blood streaking down his arms.
“But I’m stronger thanthem.”
Xeni flings his blade aside, and the knife spins across the floor with a sharp metallic clatter.
He spreads his arms wide, palms open, chest exposed.
Terrifyingly vulnerable.
Veins pulse under his skin, and static crackles as strands of his hair float.
Zadeus only stares, a mild, condescending amusement curling his lips. He still doesn’t view his son as a threat.
“Now,” Xeni commands in that deep, multifaceted tone that resonates through the room like thunder, rolling from multiple directions at once.
Three blades flash in the dim light as they drive forward, plunging into Zadeus’s ribcage with wet, meaty thuds. The High Commander’s eyes widen in shock, mouth parting in a silent gasp as blood blooms dark across his chest.
He’s suspended, held in place by the swords of his own protectors.
Puppets controlled by a new master.
Blood spills down the front of Zadeus’s armor to plunk in a puddle at his feet. His eyes move back to his son, and he opens his mouth, but no sound comes out.
Xeni sways, limbs going slack, then collapses to the ground with a heavy, final thud.
Bash
“Xeni!”IbellowasI scramble forward to his broken form.
The guards realize what they’ve done as Zadeus continues to gasp, but as the first draws his sword from his High Commander’s torso, the steady drip of his life force becomes a gush. The other two swords follow, pulling back with a wet slide.
Zadeus stands there for a few heartbeats, propped up by nothing but stubborn will as blood runs down his torso. Then his eyes roll back, face slackening into something vacant, and his body collapses.
For a long, frozen moment, the guards only stare at the fallen High Commander. Their weapons are still raised, faces blank with shock, as if the impossible has happened and they don’t know how to unsee it.
“Come on, princess,” I beg as I toss Xeni’s arm over my shoulder, but he’s barely conscious. Sweat coats every inch of hisskin, and he’s feverish and trembling as I drag him toward the others.
