William, momentarily distracted, grinned. He grabbed a filthy rag and shoved it into Kaivan's mouth. Kaivan could only hold his breath, staring at the door as it slowly opened.
Isabel's face appeared, filled with hope. "Kaivan! I brought, "
Crash!
A blow struck the back of her neck. Isabel collapsed instantly. The Tome of Omnicent slipped from her grasp, skidding across the floor between the three of them.
The air froze. Danger thickened.
William's eyes glimmered with hunger. "Someone's coming! Grab the book, now!" he barked, his voice sharp with authority.
But in that brief moment of distraction, Kaivan saw an opening. With the last of his strength, he reached for the fallen karambit. His fingers trembled, yet slowly he began scraping its small blade against the rope binding his wrists. Each faint stroke gnawed at the fibers.
William paced back and forth, agitated. Something, however, made him glance at Kaivan again. The young man's eyes had changed. Wounded as he was, they now held a suspicious calm.
Still shaking, Kaivan reached for the Tome Omnicent. The moment his fingers brushed its surface, a strange current rippled through his body. His wounds remained, but the pain no longer mattered. His gaze deepened, quiet and unwavering.
William stepped back. "What are you doing…?" His voice had lost its confidence.
Kaivan opened the first page. The letters shifted gently. William froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, loud and unhinged.
"Hah! You haven't synchronized with your tome yet!" he mocked.
Kaivan stiffened. He had no idea what that meant. But there was no time to figure it out. William pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Isabel's head.
"Drop the Tome Omnicent, or I'll put a bullet through her skull!"
In a heartbeat, Kaivan made his choice. He hurled the Tome Omnicent toward William. The book spun through the air, striking the hand that held the gun.
"AARGH!" William cried as the weapon slipped from his grip and clattered to the floor.
The sharp sound echoed, jolting Isabel awake. Her eyelids fluttered, vision blurred, her body trembling. But the moment she saw Kaivan, clarity returned. She pushed herself up and ran toward him, relief blooming briefly across her face.
But that warmth vanished.
Isabel's eyes went empty. Her movements turned sharp, unnatural. In an instant, her hand clamped around Kaivan's throat. The grip was brutal, forcing air from his lungs.
Kaivan stared in shock, struggling to pry her off. "Why… why is this happening?"
But Isabel's strength was overwhelming. Her muscles tightened like a puppet pulled by invisible strings. Kaivan glanced around desperately, and saw William approaching, injured yet wearing a crooked, triumphant smile.
"You're confused? Lost?" William sneered. "Tome Omnidream… it lets me control anyone who's unconscious. That girl, she sees you as a threat now."
His laughter slashed the air like a blade. Isabel suddenly released him. Kaivan gasped, thinking the assault had ended.
He was wrong.
With fluid, precise motion, Isabel wrapped her arms around him, not in comfort, but in a hold that locked his entire body. He tried to twist free, but the embrace was a cage. His breath faltered again, tension wrapping around him like cold wire.
William stood directly before him, a satisfied smile stretching across his face. "You're in a terrible spot, Kaivan," he taunted. Then he struck.
Kaivan's bones rattled as the blow snapped his head to the side. Before he could draw breath, another punch crushed into his stomach. His body lurched, yet Isabel's grip kept him trapped.
Blow after blow landed, yet Kaivan stayed silent. Between ragged breaths, his voice came low but cutting.
"One: you can't kill me. You were ordered only to capture." He lifted his chin, meeting William's eyes even as blood ran down his lip. "Two: your men are gone. Three…" He paused, gaze sharp. "As a descendant of Omnivalor, you can't touch the Tome Omnicent, can you?"
William froze mid-strike. His eyes widened. He spun around in panic. "Rapi! Get in here, now!"
Kaivan smirked despite the lock on his body. "Four: Rapi's… occupied, isn't he?"
William's jaw tightened. His wild eyes darted across the room. "Where did that giant go?!" he snarled.
Suddenly, hurried footsteps filled the doorway. Ethan appeared, panting, his gaze sharpening the moment he saw Isabel restraining Kaivan.
"Isabel?! What are you doing?!"
Before Ethan could step closer, William snatched his pistol off the floor and aimed.
"Get down!!" Kaivan shouted.
Ethan moved on instinct. He rolled to the side, and the bullet sliced past, close enough for him to feel the air break. The gunshot echoed sharply, tightening the tension already gripping the room.
William turned back to Kaivan, fury twisting across his face. "So many interruptions," he muttered coldly, preparing to strike.
But Kaivan didn't give him the chance. He kicked the Tome of Omnicent upward and pressed it against William's thigh.
In an instant, William's body stiffened. A surge of pain from the tome crawled through him like lightning. He gasped, clutching at his burning leg as the world around him spun.
Kaivan seized the opening. With all his strength, he hurled Isabel toward Ethan. The girl, still controlled by Omnidream, fell into Ethan's arms, her motions wild and unstable.
William staggered, trying to stay upright, but the tome's effect gnawed deeper into him. Meanwhile, Kaivan slipped free from his grip.
He wiped the blood from his lips, eyes sharpened. "Looks like you're the one cornered now, William."
Limping but enraged, William turned away, heading toward where Felicia and Rapi were still fighting. Each step was a war drum. His eyes burned as they scanned for Rapi's towering silhouette.