"Do it."
Kael's voice was calm.
Steady.
Unmoving.
Nyra's glowing eyes locked onto his.
Her hand hovered at his throat—
Just inches away.
One move.
That's all it would take.
Ronan swore under his breath.
"What the hell are you doing?" he snapped.
Kael didn't answer.
Didn't move.
Because this wasn't about him anymore.
It was about her.
"If she's still in there," he said quietly, "she won't kill me."
Nyra's fingers twitched.
The pressure in the air intensified.
Crushing.
Violent.
Unstable.
"Nyra!" Ronan shouted.
Her eyes flickered again.
For a split second—
She looked like herself.
Confused.
Terrified.
Then—
Gone.
The darkness surged.
"You hurt me…" she whispered.
Kael's chest tightened.
"I know."
"You rejected me…"
"I know."
Her hand pressed closer.
The air around his throat tightened.
Ronan moved—
But stopped.
Because something told him—
If he interfered now—
It would get worse.
"Then why…" Nyra's voice trembled, shifting between hers and something darker, "…should I stop?"
Silence.
Kael exhaled slowly.
"Because you're not a killer," he said.
The words hit harder than any attack.
Nyra froze.
Inside her—
Something cracked.
He made you weak.
"No…" she whispered.
He broke you.
"No!"
Her power surged violently.
The ground split beneath them.
Trees shook.
The hunters struggled to breathe.
Ronan braced himself.
"She's breaking!" he shouted.
Kael didn't move.
"Fight it," he said.
Nyra's body trembled.
Her eyes burned.
Tears slipped down her face.
"I can't…" she gasped.
"Yes, you can."
The darkness screamed inside her.
Raging.
Fighting.
Refusing.
Nyra's hand shook—
Then slowly—
Dropped.
The pressure around Kael vanished instantly.
Silence.
Heavy.
Unbelievable.
Nyra staggered back, her breathing uneven.
"I didn't…" she whispered.
Kael stepped forward.
"You didn't."
Relief flickered—
Then vanished.
Because the hunters—
They weren't done.
"Now!" their leader shouted.
Multiple devices activated at once.
Energy surged.
A massive containment field snapped into place—
Around Nyra.
Her eyes widened.
"What—?!"
The field pulsed violently.
Locking onto her.
Draining.
Suppressing.
Nyra screamed.
Her power reacted instantly—
But this time—
It didn't break free.
Ronan's expression darkened.
"No."
Kael turned sharply.
"What is that?!"
Ronan's voice dropped.
"Something made specifically for her."
Nyra's body collapsed to her knees inside the field.
Her glowing eyes dimming—
Fading—
Weakening.
"No…" she whispered.
The hunters stepped forward.
Calm.
Certain.
"Target secured.
Nyra is captured…
and for the first time—her power is completely suppressed.