Stirring from deep sleep, my senses slowly came back to me, along with a deluge of strange sensations. My back ached, my arm was numb, and something hard pressed against my cheek.
It took a moment to register the grain of the wood beneath my skin before I realized that I had fallen asleep on the desk.
Blinking groggily, I lifted my head with a quiet groan as faint morning light spilled through the window, laying long, golden slats across the room. However, the beauty of it barely registered through the unnatural grogginess pulling at my body, as if I were bound by hundreds of invisible chains.
The room was otherwise silent, broken only by the soft creak of the chair when I shifted. A thin chill lingered in the air, brushing against my skin, and as I became more aware of it, something felt wrong. My neck felt cold. Not just cold in the way of a brisk morning breeze, but unnervingly frigid, as if ice had taken root beneath my skin.
I pressed my fingers to the mark instinctively, trying to make sense of the feeling. The chill lingered for a few seconds longer, sending an involuntary shiver through my body, before it faded as quickly as it had come. Confused, I rubbed the back of my neck, staring at nothing in particular as my thoughts swirled.
This was new. That, I was certain of. No matter how far back I reached, I couldn't recall a single moment like it. Not when the visions first appeared, and not even when the shadow revealed itself.
But since the cold was gone, and with nothing else to guide me, there was no sense in dwelling on it. For now, I would have to let it be.
I dressed quickly, tugging on my jacket and slinging my bag over my shoulder. I was halfway to the stairs when a faint buzzing came from inside my pack. At first, it was barely there, like something shifting against the fabric, then it sharpened into a persistent, high-pitched ring.
Frowning, I dropped the bag to the floor and unzipped it, rummaging through the contents until my fingers closed around cold stone.
The guild token.
Though the moment I acknowledged it, the sound stopped.
Just like that.
I stared down at the token as it sat in my palm, unmoving.
What does that mean?
Deciding to ask the guild later. I stuffed the token into my pocket and broke into a light jog down the stairs, just in time to see the commotion.
People were leaving in a hurry, abandoning half-eaten meals and knocking chairs aside. One man grabbed his coat as he stuffed his face with toast. Another woman clutched her belongings already mid-sprint out the door.
The warm, easy atmosphere of the morning was gone, replaced by chaos.
"Atlas!" a voice called out. I turned to see Henry waving me over near the edge of the dining hall.
I crossed the room quickly. "What's going on?"
"No idea," Henry said, frowning. "But something's wrong. I think we're being called."
"That's not exactly reassuring," I muttered, glancing toward the door as another group hurried outside.
A moment later, Ella jogged up from the side, finishing the last of her sandwich as she joined us.
"Where is everyone?" I asked, glancing past her.
"They're not here," she said after swallowing. "Emily left for training a while ago, and Grace tagged along, probably just to keep her company."
I nodded slowly. "So it's just us for now."
Ella was already turning toward the door. "Yeah, but Amelia and Benjamin should already be at the guild, so we'll meet them there."
Without wasting time, the three of us joined the steady stream of guild members pouring out into the street twords the ever-growing crowd.
When we reached the guild hall, a man in a guild uniform stepped toward us the moment we approached.
"Is your group combat-oriented?" he asked, without preamble.
A bit thrown off by the directness, I only managed a nod.
Unperturbed, Ella stepped forward. "What's going on?"
"Emergency extermination jobs," he replied briskly, already scribbling something down. "Priority threats. You're being assigned along with several other squads."
He tore out a few sheets from his ledger and handed them to Ella before striding off toward the next group.
Leaning over her shoulder, I skimmed over what he wrote. My eyes stopped on the pay —5 silver per confirmed kill.
I let out a low whistle. "They're not messing around."
Ella frowned, scanning the locations. "This many squads? That's a lot of ground to cover."
Henry gave a short nod. "Guess it's time to go hunting."
"Not without the others," I said, raising a hand as a bolt of lightning shot into the air.
It didn't take long.
Through the shifting crowd, I heard a familiar voice call out. "Over here!"
We turned to see Amelia and Benjamin pushing through the crowd.
But when Ella asked about what was happening, Amelia waved her off.
"I'll explain as we go," Amelia muttered, already pulling a matching assignment slip from her pocket. She turned, leading the way as the rest of us fell in step.
"You remember those things from the ruins that came out of that portal?" she grimaced. "Apparently, they scattered and a bunch have made it to the outskirts."
I exchanged a glance with Henry. That explains the reward.
We moved faster knowing what was happening.
Across the wide-open fields, I spotted the black column of smoke before anything else. But as we drew closer, the raw screams of people echoed through the field along with the shrill cries of something inhuman.
Moments later we burst through a thicket of trees and skidded to a halt.
Three abominations tore into the corpse of an older man. Blood soaked the grass beneath them, painting the scene in a nightmarish hue. However, from the small house nearby, more screams rang out in a frantic, high-pitched wail.
"Handle the three," I snapped, summoning my gauntlets. "I'm going in."
Electricity cracked across my skin as I launched toward the house, static trailing in my wake.
With no time to find the door, I slammed my fist into the wall.
The mix of stone and wood groaned under the force before splintering apart with a deep, cracking boom. Shards of timber and chunks of crumbling stone exploded inward, the impact warping the room around the breach. Dust and grit billowed through the air, choking visibility.
Inside, a woman clutched a child, screaming as something dragged her backward into another room. Just as I turned the corner, I instinctively flinched at the sight.
A spider-like humanoid loomed over her, its misshapen body covered in swollen, bulbous growths that pulsed faintly beneath stretched skin. Its face was almost human, if not for the far too many teeth packed into a grin of raw delight that latched onto her leg, gnawing through flesh and bone.
She struck it again and again with a shattered vase, but it might as well have been a feather duster.
Shaking off the shock, my gauntlet shifted, its edge flaring into a saber, and with a clean slice, I severed the thing's head.
Only then did I realize the bulbous shapes along its back weren't decoration. The flesh across its body rippled and squirmed, as if something were moving just beneath the surface. One of the bulges slid upward, crawling across its back and neck, stretching the skin as it went until it settled where the head had been.
A new face formed, lips pulling into a grin, with empty eyes that seemed to look straight through me.
You've got to be kidding me…
Gauntlets reshaped again, and I vaulted over the woman, twisting midair. My boot connected with the creature's chest in a heavy side kick, launching it through the far wall in a splintered burst of wood and stone.
I rushed after it through the opening, but something heavy slammed into my back, pushing me to the ground.
Rotting breath filled my senses, the weight of decay pressing against me.
With no time to think. I unsummoned the gauntlets and let the Void answer.
Spikes erupted from my back, spearing the thing clinging to me. Without waiting to see if it was alive, I pushed a surge of lightning through the spikes. The screech it let out cut short with a wet gurgle as it slumped onto my shoulder.
Once I dispelled the spikes. Its limp, half-charred body slid off my shoulder and flopped onto the floor behind me with a sickening squelch.
I froze as I stared at the thing, repulsed.
That thing had just touched me.
An involuntary shiver crawled down my spine as I pictured it on my back.
It was a rotting, elongated, pig-like abomination with bloated, twitching skin that crawled on far more legs than anything should ever have.
But before I could dwell in the disgust, I turned just in time to see the spider-thing skitter around the side of the house and crash through a window.
"Fucking bastard…" I hissed.
I shot forward, smashing through the wall before it could reach the woman again. My momentum slammed us both through what looked like a child's bedroom. Toys and stuffed animals scattered as we crashed in a tangled heap, rolling hard across the floor.
We grappled for only a second.
Then I rammed my hand into the gaping stump where its head had once been, and unleashed a surge of lightning.
The creature spasmed violently, its legs flailing and tearing the room apart as the current cooked it from the inside out. Shelves toppled. A dresser cracked down the middle.
Then it stilled.
I wrenched my hand free and leaned over, spitting on its twitching corpse. The sight of it made my blood thrum, not with fear, but rage.
Pushing through the fractured wall, I found the woman where I'd left her. She recoiled when I reached out, eyes wide with panic, but after a long, trembling moment, her hand finally slipped into mine.
I helped her to her feet and guided her through what remained of her home, rubble crunching underfoot as she leaned more and more of her weight on me. Her child sobbed uncontrollably in her arms, each broken sound digging deeper than I cared to admit. By the time we reached open ground, she was limping badly, relying on me for nearly every step.
Outside, the fight was over. The three beasts were already dead, their twisted forms sprawled across the grass in smears of blood and ash. Henry gave me a nod, a confirmation that it was done.
But then the woman stumbled.
She dropped to her knees and collapsed completely, her breath catching in frantic, gasping sobs as she looked toward the mangled corpse of the man by the trees.
I didn't need to ask who he was.
The sounds of her grief cut through me like a blade. I turned away, jaw clenched tight, and stared out at the monsters we had killed.
They had destroyed a family in mere moments.
Turned this woman into a widow, and made a child fatherless.
My hands tightened into fists.
Behind me, the house gave a final groan, then collapsed in on itself, sending a thick plume of dust billowing into the sky like smoke from a funeral pyre.
Benjamin knelt by the woman, his hands glowing faintly as he finished mending her shredded leg. And only when reinforcements arrived did I notice the true source of the smoke.
The barn.
It was fully engulfed, flames clawing at the sky. Through the heat shimmer and rising embers, I caught glimpses of twisting silhouettes, shifting in the haze. And beyond them, more….
Too many.
I breathed in, slow and deep, forcing my thoughts to settle.
This was it.
The gallop of monstrosities across the scorched earth didn't rattle me. Each thundering step reminded me there was no time to mourn, no space for guilt or regret. Only action.
I exhaled, letting the weight of not getting her fast enough bleed out with the breath.
I summoned my blade, its edge humming with energy, and bolted forward.
The first creature lunged.
I dropped low, sliding beneath its heaving mass, carving deep into its underbelly with a single upward slash. Its entrails spilled like molten tar. Then I reappeared behind it and, with a single motion, hurled a bolt of lightning straight through its spine, causing it to collapse in a heap.
Then a shriek pierced the air as an arrow hissed past my head and embedded itself in the eye socket of another charging beast. Before it could recover, I spun on my heel, severing its head in one clean motion.
The moment its body hit the ground, Spells lit up the clearing like a thunderstorm, flashes of fire, ice, and arcane brilliance crashing down from every direction. Dozens of fighters flooded the field, their magic screaming through the air. The ground shook with the clash.
Retribution.
For the woman and her child.
For this burned land.
And for the Ruins, and all those we lost inside.
I glanced back once, just once.
She was still there, lying across her husband's ruined body, holding him like she could still shield him from what had happened.
I closed my eyes.
And when I opened them again, I dove into the fray.
The slaughter had begun…
The last of the creatures fell, its body crumpling in a heap of smoke and gore. All around me, the battlefield still crackled with lingering spells that fizzled in the air, and the ground steamed where blood met fire.
But we weren't done.
Not yet.
"Move out!" someone shouted.
We regrouped quickly, falling into formation as the following directive came through: clear the forest, house by house, room by room. If there were survivors, we'd find them. If there were monsters, we'd burn them.
I tightened my grip on the blade and followed the others into the treeline.
House after house, we swept through the forest, clearing them one by one. Most of the people inside hadn't made it. Blood-stained walls and overturned furniture told their stories for them. But a few… a few had survived, barricaded behind doors, beneath floorboards, hiding in cellars, just long enough for us to get there.
As the hours dragged on, we carved a path through the wilderness. Every creature we put down meant one more patch of land was safe. One more soul spared.
I stepped into a partially collapsed home, ducking under a sagging beam. The smell hit first, like old blood, mold, and something fouler beneath it. My gaze swept across each room, scanning for movement.
Then I heard it.
A deep, meaty thump from behind a door down the hall. But it was barricaded from the inside, the wood warped and reinforced with debris. Another dull thud, heavier this time. Whatever was behind it was pushing hard.
A soldier from a nearby squad motioned for us to fall back. His gauntlet glowed as he pressed his palm against the frame.
The stonework vibrated. Dust fell in thick plumes as the wall crumbled, and the door gave way, its weight slamming hard into the ground.
What stood behind it wasn't human.
It filled the doorway, a grotesque tower of quivering fat and stretched skin. Its limbs moved like jelly, rippling with each twitch. Its face or what passed for one was that of a bloated water bear, expressionless and alien. But in its tiny, childlike hands, it clutched the half-eaten leg of a child.
It turned slowly toward us, its eyes unblinking.
Without another thought, I lunged forward. My blade sliced through its neck before it could release a single sound. The thing collapsed, gurgling quietly as it died.
Behind me, Amelia raised her hand, magma crawling up the walls like living veins. Flames blossomed outward, hungrily devouring the rot as she set the building ablaze behind us.
And then we moved on.
Death after death, step by step, the forest began to change. The creatures became fewer. The air started to clear. With every house we passed, the silence grew, not from safety, but from the absence of life.
The screams had faded. The burning had stopped. All that remained was the soft crunch of our boots on rock and the heavy rhythm of our breathing.
We were climbing now, ascending the jagged ridges that framed the city like broken teeth. Each rise and fall took more out of us. Muscles ached. But none of us stopped.
The sun's had begun their golden descent, casting long shadows across the still valleys below. The light was soft, warm even, but it didn't bring comfort. Not here. Not with what we were chasing.
Then we saw it.
Perched atop a sharp outcropping of stone was one of the remaining abominations. Its skinny form was silhouetted against the fading sky.
At the base of the ridge, the real horror unfolded.
A cluster of the creatures writhed around a carcass—bat-like things with twisted, humanoid torsos hunched over the mangled remains of some boar-like beast. They tore into it with unsettling zeal, claws slick with gore. Their forms were warped by unnatural mutation, flesh stretched and reknitted in ways that defied anatomy.
Their faces were eyeless and smooth, unfinished patches of skin where sight should have been. Yet they moved with absolute certainty, guided by grotesquely elongated ears that twitched and swiveled like living radar, a second, smaller set tucked low and tight against the skull.
When they bit down, I saw it. Rows upon rows of jagged, glinting teeth, tearing through sinew like wet paper.
"Nasty things," I muttered under my breath.
But as if hearing me, one of the creatures froze.
Its long ears quivered, a rapid series of electric shudders racing along their length. Then, almost delicately, the smaller, lower ears folded inward, sealing the upper ears tight, as if the creature were bracing against something.
The rest followed suit. Sightless faces turned toward us in chilling unison.
Then came the scream.
The things unleashed a bone-chilling screech that tore through the forest like a physical force, rattling the very air around us. It struck my ears like a hammer, the sound vibrating through my skull. Pain exploded in my head as blood trickled from my ears, the world dimming into a cacophony of distorted echoes. My knees buckled under the sheer intensity, and I barely caught Benjamin's garbled shout. It was distant and almost incomprehensible, swallowed by the auditory assault.
Before I could fully recover, one of them lunged. Its elongated limbs propelled it forward in a grotesque, loping sprint. Dirt and leaves were scattered as its claws raked the ground, closing the distance faster than I could react.
It slammed into me, the force sending us both sprawling to the ground. My back hit the rocky earth with a jarring impact, and before I could process the pain, the creature was on top of me. Its claws scrabbled against my chestplate, and its elongated neck craned downward, its serrated maw snapping inches from my face. The smell of decay hit me like a second blow, making my stomach churn.
With trembling arms, I pressed against its neck, my fingers sinking into the unnaturally pliable flesh. Its muscles strained and bulged grotesquely as it pushed forward, the sinews stretching to impossible lengths. With a sickening crack, its neck snapped, but the creature didn't falter. Instead, it twisted unnaturally, the jagged angle of its head only intensifying its frenzied attempts to reach me. Its guttural growls reverberated through my aching ears, an unsettling harmony to the lingering echoes of its screech.
Finally, with the sound dying down, common scene came back to me. Lightning surged through my hands, crackling and arcing in brilliant flashes. The current coursed into the creature, its body convulsing violently. It twitched and writhed, its claws scrabbling weakly as its legs gave out beneath it. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, mingling with the acrid tang of ozone.
The creature's movements ceased, and a familiar, almost comforting sensation of it falling limp calmed me. I let go, my trembling hands falling to the dirt as the lifeless husk slumped beside me.
A second later, a soothing warmth spread through me as Ben's healing magic washed over my battered body. My ears popped, and the muffled world slowly came back into focus. The pain dulled, replaced by clarity as his magic mended the damage. I staggered to my feet, the ground unsteady beneath me.
With a surge of energy, I summoned my weapons—twin sabers materialized in my hands, their blades consuming the faint light. "Let's finish this," I hissed, the words a low growl.
The remaining creatures recoiled at first, but then one tilted its malformed head upward. Letting out a blood-curdling screech, a new, more horrifying call that reverberated through the air, chilling me to the bone.
Then the forest answered.
A cacophony of shrieks echoed from every direction, a chilling symphony that froze the blood in my veins. The trees themselves seemed to shudder under the weight of the sound.
"Get ready!" Amelia shouted.
Glancing around, I caught sight of galloping figures moving through the trees, far more than I would like. A relentless tide of those things closed in. "Amelia, form a dome, now!" I implored, my voice barely reaching her ears amidst the chaos. With a nod, she began conjuring a protective barrier of dirt and stone.
Just as the dome formed, they unleashed their screeches toward us, rattling the very foundations of our makeshift shelter. The cacophony was overwhelming, every shriek seeking to pierce our defenses.
The things outside intensified their screeching, their frenzied cries echoing in our ears. I could scarcely hear my own thoughts amid the deafening pandemonium.
Summoning my resolve, I yelled for Amelia to create an opening in the barrier in precisely four seconds. Hoping my words weren't lost in the maelstrom, I prepared nonetheless. My powers surged within me, coalescing into a searing ball of lightning as I compressed it to my limits.
With an uncanny synchronicity, the barrier parted, just as I had hoped. Without hesitation, I hurled the charged lightning orb into the heart of the malevolent horde. The dome resealed itself with a resounding thud as the shockwave of electrical energy rippled through the chaos outside.
The pandemonium ceased abruptly, and once the dome crumbled, we were greeted by the eerie sight of their grotesque, twitching forms. Yet, the battle was far from over.
Amelia's shot rose above the newfound stillness in a battle cry, launching an all-out assault, our synchronized attacks cutting through the horde with unending death.
With a burst of adrenaline, I charged towards the nearest one. My saber sliced through the air, seeking the creature's neck. In a swift, savage motion, I severed it, and the grotesque being crumpled to the ground, lifeless. My movements flowed seamlessly to the next target, my heart pounding in my chest as I embarked on a frenzied slaughter.
Time blurred into a chaotic whirlwind as I swung my sword with relentless determination. Each strike was a dance of void and gore, an endless sequence of death, dealt out to the nightmarish creatures. My muscles screamed with the effort, and beads of sweat mingled with the gory remnants that splattered across my face, but amid the flurry of blows, I felt a momentary lull as their numbers dwindled. Panic gripped their twisted forms, and they made a desperate attempt to escape the impending slaughter.
But they found no reprieve. Ella, wielding her Moon Blades, became an avenging whirlwind. Her swift strikes found their mark with surgical precision, cutting down any attempting to flee. Her grace amidst the chaos was awe-inspiring, and her actions cemented the inevitable outcome of this gruesome battle.
Finally, only one remained, its twisted form dragging itself across the ground. I summoned a spear and tossed it lazily into the air before catching it without looking. The motion carried through as I sent it flying.
The spear slipped through the air and buried itself in the creature's back with a dull, wet thud. The monstrosity screamed as it writhed around on the ground, unable to pull the spear from the stone it was now lodged in.
I stood over now, eyes locked onto the creature's dying embers of life, and with a merciless stomp, I crushed its neck beneath my heel, ending its suffering and sealing the fate of the horror.
Breathing heavily, I climbed onto a nearby rock, seeking respite from the bloody surroundings.
Gazing upon the grotesque battlefield, I couldn't help but feel a sense of grim satisfaction. My body was drenched in the foul residue of battle, a gruesome testament to the ferocity of the encounter, though despite the grisly scene around me, my attention was drawn to one thing.
Taking a moment to regain my composure, I shifted my focus to the stat screen. In the chaos of battle, I had gained a single level, and with it came the class selection.
Class Selection Available
Alright. Let's see what we got.
Warrior
A common class focused on physical combat and battlefield endurance. Masters of weapons—
I barely skimmed it. Mage came next, followed by several other common classes, but none of them had anything I wanted. The last of the commons was Rogue, though its emphasis on ambushes and careful positioning felt dull.
But the list didn't end there.
Uncommon and rare classes followed, though the selection was noticeably shorter than before. Still, they were at least marginally more interesting than anything I'd seen so far.
Sentinel Vanguard:
An uncommon defensive class specializing in shields, formations, and ally protection.
Bloodbound Striker
An uncommon class that converted self-inflicted damage into explosive strength.
Elemental Duelist
An uncommon class blending close-quarters combat with elemental augmentation.
I scrolled past most of them without comment. Each description felt oddly shallow, as if they were being pulled from a template that had never accounted for what I could actually do.
That bothered me more than it should have.
The core had adapted to me before. I could feel it, the way it shifted and settled, responding to how I fought. But this… this felt like it was guessing.
Berserker
An uncommon class defined by unchecked aggression and escalating power through sustained combat.
Aether Gunner
A rare class utilizing ranged constructs to rain fire upon their enemies.
Electromancer
A rare class specializing in lightning, energy manipulation, and technological control.
I slowed this time, finally finding something that felt almost personal. Almost. It was still off, like the system was just taking what I could already do and sorting me into categories based on surface-level skills.
Even the final option felt wrong.
Chaos Tempestshaper
An Epic Class centered on the convergence of speed and temporal distortion. Its users move through the world slightly out of step, flowing through the battlefield with unmatched momentum.
…That was it?
I stared at the description, half-expecting something else to appear, some clarification or correction. But it didn't. That really was the last choice. Sighing, I leaned back and looked at it.
This felt wrong, like the core wasn't actually attached to me.
Where was the Void control? The abilities I'd gained from the Astroharbinger form? It was as if the system couldn't comprehend anything beyond lightning and speed, or simply chose to ignore the rest, leaving me with classes tailored to the closest approximation it could manage.
It was beyond disappointing. But with no better option, I made the choice. However, it wasn't much of a choice at all.
The moment I confirmed it, the screen pulsed like a living heart. Then it pulsed again. The interface flickered, lines of text distorting as if something beneath it was being overwritten.
A new prompt forced its way to the surface, burning brighter than the rest.
Class Upgrade Demanded
Chaos Tempestshaper is upgraded to Primordial Tempest in compliance with– Error– Newly assigned Rank, Unique.
I blinked, utterly stunned by what had just happened. Then, as if the system were still unsure whether to allow it, a new icon appeared at the edge of the screen, flickering in and out of existence.
Afraid it might disappear, I scrambled to pull it up.
New Class, Primordial Tempest, Unique Rank
Effect:
+10 to all base stats +4 additional stat points per level +10 Intelligence +20 Endurance +10% bonus to all attributes New Skill Unlocked: Temporal Distortion Pulse
I stared at the screen, momentarily frozen. It flickered once, then vanished without my permission. Normally, that alone would have set off alarms, but my mind was still catching up to what I'd just seen.
With trembling hands, I funneled all three attribute points into Vitality, and when I finally took the time to scan the rest of my interface, a slow grin spread across my face. The longer I looked, the clearer it became just how much I'd gained.
Atlas Mercer
Race:Human
Level:25
Class:Primordial Tempest
Rank Unique Effect:
+10 to all stats+4 stats per level+10 to intelligence+20 to Endurance+10% to all statsNew Skill: Temporal Distortion Pulse
Stats:
Strength: 59 + 26Vitality: 29 + 13Agility: 41 + 18Endurance: 50 + 22Intelligence: 57 + 25Dexterity: 28 + 12Percentage Boost: 45%
Skills:
Lightning Enhancement: Rank 2
Lightning Control: Rank 4
Lightning Resistance: Rank 1
Temporal Distortion Pulse: Rank 1
Identify: Rank 1
Unique Skills:
Multilingual: Rank 1
Void Creation: Rank 4
Astraheim's Inheritance
Titles:
Primordial Inheritance:
+10% to all stats+Class Upgrade??????
Apocalypse Slayer: Rank 1
Level Defier: Rank 1, 2, 3, 4
Primordial Inheritance… why only one? Could level 25 be the key to the class upgrade? Or am I overlooking something obvious? My eyes darted over the screen, dissecting every detail. If it's tied to levels, does level 50 unlock the second? And level 100 for the third? The thought was both daunting and exhilarating.
But before I could delve too deep into it, Henry's voice yanked me out of my thoughts. "Atlas! Guess what?" he bounded from heel to heel, grinning as if he'd just won a prize.
I blinked, caught off guard by his energy. "Uh… what? You look like you just discovered fire."
"I got a new skill!" he beamed. "It's called Venomous Veil."
I tilted my head. "Venomous… veil?" My brows furrowed. "That sounds… interesting. Is it cool?"
Henry scratched the back of his head, his grin faltering just a bit. "Well… I haven't actually used it yet."
I stared at him. "You haven't tested it?"
He raised an eyebrow. "What did you expect? I just got it?"
I opened my mouth, then shut it again. Ah…I guess that makes sense.
But before I could speak, Henry took a dramatic breath. "Alright. Here goes nothing!"
"Wait—Henry, maybe don't just—!"
But he was already channeling it.
The moment the skill was activated, wisps of green smoke began to pour from his body. It started as a thin vapor but quickly thickened, expanding outward like a living thing. The mist spread rapidly, curling around him in unnatural patterns, until he was entirely shrouded from view.
"Henry?" I said, retreating a step as the fog began to swallow the space around me.
"Yeah, I'm here," his voice came from somewhere within the dense fog, sounding equally intrigued and confused. "I... I think this is the skill?"
I reached out cautiously, my fingertips brushing against the edge of the mist, but the moment my skin touched it, a sharp sting shot through my hand, like the bite of an insect, instinctively making me yank my hand back with a hiss. Okay, so it's not just for show.
"Does it hurt?" I asked, squinting into the fog, trying to make out his silhouette.
"Nope," Henry replied, his voice sounding from a different spot. "I feel fine. It's like the fog isn't even there for me."
So it doesn't affect him, but it stings me. Intrigued but equally hesitant, I stepped back some more as it kept spreading. "Alright, come out here before you accidentally gas us all," I said with a chuckle, still keeping a wary eye on the mist.
Moments later, Henry emerged from the fog, grinning like a kid who'd just discovered a new toy. "Not bad for a first try, huh?"
"Not bad?" I shook my head. "That's an insane skill."
Henry laughed, clearly pleased. "I know, right?"
I was about to say more when the ground lurched beneath us.
A deafening crack tore through the clearing as molten stone and jagged rock erupted from the ground in every direction. A split second later, a shockwave slammed into us, hurling bodies through the air.
Though I was able to stay rooted to the ground, I was bombarded by a scorching wave of heat that burned through my skin like an obliterating wave of sunlight.
Off to the side, someone screamed, but I didn't have time to see who, as Stone spikes shot upward like spears, ripping through soil and trees alike. One tore past where Henry had been standing moments earlier, and another narrowly missed Benjamin as he was flung sideways.
I tried to find the source of the destruction, but I wasn't given the luxury as a massive stone spike surged up from the ground beneath me, aimed straight for my chest.
My heart dropped. I didn't have time to dodge.
Then, just as it came within inches of my skin, something almost separate from me answered. Without my intent, my core activated. The sensation was so strange I barely registered it as the world drained of color around me, spreading outward in an ever-expanding circle. Life bled away into dull gray, vibrant hues collapsing into something lifeless and thin, as though light itself struggled to reach this place.
The stone spike continued to rise, but now it moved at a crawl, slow enough that all I had to do was step aside.
The simplicity of the motion left me utterly speechless as the spike glided past, still climbing in that unreal slowness.
When I was finally able to tear my gaze away from it, I turned to see Amelia standing in the heart of the devastation.
She stood utterly untouched, her form radiating a blinding light I couldn't truly see as it was stripped of color like everything else. Even so, I could make out her expression, frozen in raw horror as she stared at what she had done to everyone around her.
Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the force receded, crawling back into me and allowing light to touch the vibrant plants once more. Those still suspended in the air began to fall again, gravity reclaiming them in a violent rush.
With it, the strength I'd felt vanished.
First came my leg. As if it was drained of every last drop of strength, I dropped to my knees, and once I began to tip, I tried to catch myself with my arms, but they were just as useless. A moment later, I was face-down against the scorching ground, lava bubbling nearby in hissing, angry bursts.
I felt utterly spent. Empty. As if I had run a hundred marathons in a single instant and burned through everything I had. All that remained was the desperate need for air as I dragged in breath after ragged breath.
I didn't know how long I lay there with my face pressed to the ground, my skin screaming where the heat had seared it. But soon, rough, callused hands pulled me upwards.
Then the sickening sensation of tearing flesh sounded out as my burned skin peeled from my face, but I was too tired to cry out. The exhaustion transcended pain. I could have cooked there for hours more, and I wouldn't have moved.
Then warmth spread through me, unlike the fire, almost gentle, and slowly my mind came back to me.
Benjamin's healing seeped into my body, knitting torn flesh and easing the raw agony as it repaired what had been burned away. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, sensation returned in a way that didn't hurt. My vision crept back in hazy fragments, colors bleeding into shape as the ringing in my ears gave way to sharp, distant pops.
I lay there shaking, barely aware of the hands still holding me, breathing hard as the world finally dragged itself back into focus.
Amelia stood over me, her face stricken with horror as she watched my eyes finish reforming, whatever damage the heat had done slowly undone. Now that my vision had finally returned, I could see the others as well, all gathered around me, their expressions mirroring her own.
And for some reason, I couldn't help but chuckle.
I didn't know how long I'd been lying there, but I couldn't shake the image of them scrambling to regain their footing, only to finally look down and find me sprawled out, face-first, slowly cooking in a pool of lava. The thought tugged a weak chuckle out of me.
I would have paid good money to see Henry's face.
Instead, all I saw were worried silhouettes hovering above me. "I'm… fine," I croaked at last, the words scraping out of my throat. Even I didn't believe them.
"Fine?" Amelia snapped as she dropped to her knees beside me, her face pale. "You almost died." Her voice wavered as she looked around at the scorched ground, the shattered trees, and the others nursing burns and bruises. "I almost killed you. I almost killed all of you."
Henry pushed himself upright with a groan, brushing ash from his sleeve. He glanced down at me, then grimaced. "Yeah… yeah, you did. But come on, we don't die so easily."
"That still doesn't make it okay," Amelia stressed, clearly overwhelmed by how close it had been.
"You're right," Benjamin murmured. "This just shows how accustomed we've become to these powers. Honestly, it's a miracle we haven't killed ourselves already."
Henry let out a dry chuckle. "No kidding. I did the same thing a moment before." His expression sobered. "Though I guess I didn't melt Atlas's face off." He pointed past me. "By the way, if you're looking for your old face, it's fused with the ground over there."
Following his gesture, I caught sight of half my face and most of my nose plastered to the scorched earth. Grimacing, I patted my cheek, relieved to find smooth skin beneath my fingers.
Glancing back at Benjamin, I had to admit that he was a lifesaver. First, my arm. Now my face. Without him, I'd probably look like a monster.
But despite myself, I chuckled, "I've had worse mornings."
Amelia shook her head. "I should've waited. I should've—"
"Yes," Ben said gently, though his voice remained firm. "But that's in the past. What matters is that we learn from it." He looked around at all of us. "From now on, we test new abilities before using them around others. No exceptions."
No one could argue with that.
With the unspoken agreement settled, all that remained was the cleanup. Strangely enough, there wasn't much left to deal with. Most of the abomination corpses were already destroyed… or still burning.
I drew in another breath. The dizziness had faded, and my limbs no longer shook.
"I say we get out of here," I muttered, forcing a weak smile. "It's starting to smell."
I tried to stand and immediately regretted it. My legs wobbled violently, and I toppled backwards. Grimacing, I glanced at Benjamin. "Mind giving me a hand?"
He scoffed but reached out anyway, hauling me to my feet. With my weight half on him and my steps anything but steady, we made our way down the mountain and back toward the city as the twin suns dipped below the horizon, their light stretching long, skeletal shadows through the forest.
I barely noticed any of it.
By the time we reached the city and found a place to wash up, I split off from the others, uncaring of the lingering gore, and collapsed onto a summoned mat the moment I stepped inside my room.