Ren and Fin stood before Skarith.
The chamber was dim, lit only by the dull orange of torches along the stone walls—the air stank of blood and sweat. At Skarith's feet lay Edric, bound and beaten beyond recognition, his face swollen and caked with crimson.
Skarith lounged on his chair of iron and wood, fingers tapping the hilt of the sword across his lap. His voice was deep, amused, and cruel.
"Well played, kids," he said. "Killed one of my favorite chefs… and a guard, too."
Fin's eyes flicked around the room. More than a dozen guards circled them, blades drawn, armor glinting faintly. His gaze lingered on Edric. 'He's too beaten… must have broken under torture. He must have told them.'
Beside him, Ren stared at the floor, trembling, eyes wet. 'It's over. I've doomed them all again.'
Skarith reached down and seized Edric by the hair, wrenching his head up until their eyes met. His smile stretched wide.
"Told you, didn't I? We always find your friends."
He released him. Edric's head slammed back against the floor with a sickening crack.
Turning to the two boys, Skarith's tone shifted from casual cruelty to mocking praise.
"You've got a loyal friend. He never gave you away. Clever planning, too… but you forgot one thing." His grin widened. "We check the cell walls as well."
On the ground, Edric wept quietly, his body trembling. 'What have I done? One mistake, and now everyone will die. I am too weak. Too weak.' His gaze shifted across the chamber to the others: Mira lay unconscious, pale and still, while Bran and Darik were barely awake, groaning, their faces smeared with blood.
Skarith rose from his throne, the sound of steel scraping as he lifted his sword.
"You children are worth more than gold. These four," he gestured at the captives, "make perfect soldiers for any military campaign. And you, Fin…" His eyes gleamed. "Inhuman abilities. While this new boy," he pointed at Ren, "had a flawless body. Not a scar, not a wound. Perfect stock."
He turned toward his companion.
"Keva, which one has the lowest price? We need to kill one. Fear is a lesson best taught by blood."
The words froze the chamber. Mira stirred in her chains. Bran and Darik shook in silence. Even Ren stopped breathing. Their eyes all fixed on Keva as she slowly opened her ledger. Each heartbeat thudded like a drum. Sweat trickled down their temples.
Edric lifted his head, watching in terror.
At last, Keva snapped the ledger shut and raised her finger.
"The new boy," she said. "Ren."
Edric's body sagged with relief. 'Oh God… it isn't me.'
Skarith dragged his sword across the floor with a shrill metallic scrape. He approached Ren slowly, savoring every step. He raised the blade high.
The steel fell.
But at the last instant, Fin hurled himself between them.
The blade carved through him, cutting from shoulder to hip. Blood sprayed in a crimson arc, spattering across Ren's face. Fin crumpled, collapsing into Ren's arms.
Ren stared in disbelief, his eyes wide, tears streaming.
"Fin…no"
Fin's lips trembled, his breath ragged, chest heaving. His hand shook as he pointed to Ren's heart. Words came in gasps, broken by coughs of blood.
"Live a life… for me. A life people will look up to… and you were… my brot…."
His voice broke. His hand fell limp. Fin's eyes glazed, and the light left them.
Ren's scream caught in his throat.
Skarith exhaled with disappointment. "Tsk. What a waste." He flicked his blade, spraying blood across the stone. "Guards. Take the rest away."
The chamber went still. Ren sat frozen, Fin's blood soaking into his hands, warm and sticky. The silence was suffocating.
Boots echoed. A guard stepped forward, reaching out to seize him.
And then the guard was flung backwards as though torn apart by invisible claws. His body shredded mid-air, ripped into bloody chunks that splattered across the wall, painting it red.
The room froze. Every eye locked on Ren.
Edric raised his head, eyes wide. Blood dripped from the stone above him. 'What… what just happened?'
The guards did not move. None breathed.
Skarith's composure cracked. He roared. "Kill him!"
The guards charged.
Ren rose slowly to his feet. The first blade struck, aimed for his neck. The steel shrieked against his skin and broke. The guard's eyes widened just as Ren's hand punched through his chest, tearing out his heart.
Another swung. Ren's arm whipped out, slicing the man in half. Blood fountained across the chamber.
Screams filled the air. The slaughter began.
Ren moved like a storm, tearing through armor, ripping flesh. Limbs flew. Walls and ceiling dripped red. The air grew thick with iron and smoke.
Skarith lunged, sword flashing. Ren's fist met his chest with bone-crushing force, launching him across the chamber. He smashed through stone, vanishing into the dust.
Keva stepped forward, calm yet grim, spear gleaming in her hands.
"You need discipline, boy."
Ren turned to her, his eyes glowing pure blue, radiant with raw mana. His veins blazed like rivers beneath his skin. Fury burned in his gaze.
Keva's spear ignited with flame as she rushed him. Sparks flew as steel met invisible force. Ren's slashes of mana cut through the air, each countered by her spear's precision.
One strike veered off, slicing through Edric's ropes. With a gasp, Edric tore free and stumbled toward the others, untying their bindings with frantic fingers.
The duel intensified. Ren's attacks grew faster, heavier. Keva's face tightened. 'Each strike… stronger than the last. He's adapting. I can't keep this up.'
She screamed, channeling all her power into one final thrust, her spear blazing like a sun. But Ren ducked beneath, slipping inside her guard.
Her eyes widened. 'Damn you.'
Ren's fist rose from below, slamming into her chestplate. The impact hurled her skyward. Stone and dust exploded as she smashed through the ceiling. Light poured in for the first time, sunlight cutting into the dark chamber.
Edric dragged his friends toward the wall, shouting. "Move! Away from him!"
Above, Keva soared, body crashing through rock until she burst into the open air.
Ren threw back his head and roared. The sound was not human; it was primal, a scream of rage that shook the world. The earth trembled. In the city above, people stumbled as the ground quaked.
Then it came.
A pillar of pure mana erupted from his body, a blinding column of light that tore through stone and steel alike. The ceiling of the cavern dissolved, evaporating into dust. Buildings above vanished in the torrent.
Edric froze, staring back at the impossible sight. "Everyone! To the cells! Run!"
Panic consumed the crowd. Prisoners scrambled, guards fled. Edric hauled Bran and Mira, his voice cracking. 'Ren… you've saved us.'
Ren stood at the center of the devastation. His hair turned white. His eyes blazed azure, veins coursing with raw mana. Water swirled around him.
Above, Keva plummeted, body limp. She closed her eyes. 'It's over.'
Ren leapt. The ground cratered beneath his feet as he shot skyward, shockwaves tearing outward. He caught her by the face, dragged her higher into the open air, and flung her down with titanic force.
She crashed through rooftops, smashing building after building before vanishing in a cloud of rubble.
Ren hovered, eyes wild, power radiating like a storm.
Then came the impact.
Something slammed into him with the force of a cannon. His body was hurled across the city, smashing through walls, crashing into streets.
People screamed, scattering in terror as his body tore a path of ruin. Dust and fire filled the air.
From the smoke, a figure emerged.
A man in gleaming silver armor, golden hair catching the sunlight. His steps were heavy, deliberate, echoing through the silence. He stopped, spitting on the ground, eyes locked on Ren.
His voice was cold as steel.
"It's time to die, demon."