Every sigil connects a person to the same place.
Tharuzel.
His presence presses against the edges of my awareness. Hungry. Waiting.
Not today, dickwad.
I block him from my mind and grip the threads of our net tighter. It’s holding.
Here goes everything.
With my intention locked, I anchor the built-up power and send out a blasting pulse across the web of our connections. The explosive energy lights up our grid as if I’ve just electrocuted an expansive spiderweb—all the anchor, radial, and spiral lines vibrating with power.
And just as Sebastian predicted, the blast erupts from me, rushes outward, and identifies Tharuzel’s tethers as it washes over them.
Those connections take hold and, one by one, the sigils crack, flicker, and then bleed into nothing. It takes only a few seconds for the blast pulse to light up the entire grid.
And then it’s done.
I wait, holding my breath, ready for the retaliation. But nothing comes. No explosion. No screaming demons attacking. No backlash of fire or shadow.
The sigils are destroyed, Tharuzel’s dark intention drains out of his targets, and it’s over.
I open my eyes.
Asher's watching me, eyebrows raised. "Why do you look confused?"
"I think it worked."
"Okay… isn't that good?"
"Yeah, but nothing exploded."
He snorts. "P, I'm pretty sure that's agreatthing."
I push to my feet, legs shaky but holding. My gaze sweeps the park.
There—near the gazebo. A man I recognize from the coffee shop. Two days ago, he had a faint sigil on his forehead and a ghost hovering behind him, draining him dry.
Now?
His forehead's clear. No mark. No drain on his emotions.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. Then again. And again. I pull it out and find the Brigade WhatsApp chatroom blowing up with texts.
Rowan:Holy shit. Did that just work?
Sebastian:The energy dispersed cleanly. No backlash.
Wylder:I felt it. The sigils are gone.
Clara:Poppy? Did it work?
I type quickly.
Poppy:I think so. We just saw someone who had a sigil yesterday. It's gone.
Mica:omg we actually did it
