I hit the ground and roll, the world spinning. Teeth snap inches from my face. Another coil snakes toward me.
I can’t believe I’m still alive, still breathing.
I shove. Kick. Crawl.
Then it hits me.
They weren’t meant to fight over one person.
Many bodies. Many meals to share. That’s what’s saving me. Their monstrous instincts crave excess, not a single, struggling morsel. But my blood has ignited a hunger they can’t control.
I twist, forcing my body through a narrow gap in their writhing coils. My lungs burn, my skin slick with their foul, viscous blood. One final lunge and I spill onto open sand, scrambling to my feet.
Behind me, the leeches thrash, locked in a furious knot of teeth and flesh.
The clock looms ahead, but I risk a glance over my shoulder.
One of them is free. The smallest leech, the runt, has been flung clear of the frenzy. It rolls once across the sand and stops, pitch-black eyes fixing on me. My stomach drops.
The other two are tangled in a death spiral, their bloated bodies tearing chunks from each other until pieces of them litter the ground. They’re killing each other. Soon, they’ll both be dead. But the small one doesn’t care. It lunges.
I bolt.
The sand shifts treacherously beneath me as I tear toward the hill. Every step sinks. Every lunge drags, but I finally reach it.
The incline fights me, grains sliding away underfoot. Every inch is war. Behind me, the leech gains ground. The slithering sound of its approach sends a violent shudder up my spine. I don’t dare look back, not until I reach the top.
Almost there.
My chest heaves. Sweat slicks my skin. My legs scream, but I don’t stop. My arms tremble as I claw up the last few feet.
Then I’m there. I stumble onto the crest, gasping. And my Decay magic stirs. Rot stirs inside me.Let me out,it whispers, curling through my veins like smoke. It presses outward, hungry to spread, to consume.
I see it too clearly: the leech wouldn’t be the only thing it rots. The sand beneath me would blacken. The people—the ones I swore to protect—would die screaming, their flesh withering before they could run.
No.
I suck in a sharp breath and shove the power down.Coil. Settle.
I latch onto the pain in my muscles—anything real, anything human. The magic thrashes, fighting my command, clawing at the edges of my control.
But I win. I bury it deep. My heart hammers in my chest.
I turn, just for a second. The two larger monsters lie still, their final spasms already slowing.
Only one left.
Just one more. And it’s already coming.
I brace myself, every muscle trembling as I lunge toward the clock.
The air shifts behind me.
Instinct takes over. I throw myself sideways. The world blurs as I hit the ground and roll. A sickening crack erupts behind me.
I whip around just in time to see the leech collide, headfirst, intothe clock. The impact shakes the entire structure.
A deep, hollow boom echoes through the arena. The glass trembles but doesn’t break. Not enough force.
