They didn't wait to find out how close Ruel still was. The rain fell harder, slicking broken streets and turning ash into dark mud. Rix led the way, still thrumming with that terrifying power. Every breath he took felt like inhaling burning iron.
Kael stayed close, knives drawn, eyes darting through the ruined alleys. Renn jogged backward at times, lightning dancing at his fingertips, while Zane's shadows crept ahead like scouts. Mira clung to Kross's hand, her eyes wide and haunted.
They ducked through a collapsed shopfront, glass crunching underfoot. Shelves of half-rotted goods loomed, moth-eaten curtains drifting like ghosts. Rix stumbled to a stop, leaning against a counter. His head spun. That brief moment of overwhelming strength left his veins like hollow tunnels. He felt sick, like something had crawled into his chest and was scratching to get out.
Kael crouched next to him. "You alright?"
"No." Rix managed a dry laugh. "But I'll live."
"For now," Kael muttered, too low for the others to hear. His eyes hardened. "Whatever you touched back there… it's not normal, Rix. It's not just some lucky power boost. You're different now."
---
They rested only a few minutes. It wasn't safe to linger. Mira found an old rag to clean a cut on Kross's cheek. Renn scavenged half-crushed bottles of soda from behind the counter. Zane prowled near the broken door, shadows coiling around his ankles, whispering things only he seemed to hear.
Then there was a distant, rhythmic clank. Metal on stone. Boots. Too many to count.
Kael stood so abruptly his stool fell over. "Time's up."
They slipped into the alleys again, weaving through labyrinthine backstreets. Rix felt that hum inside him again, like a second pulse. Each corner they turned seemed to whisper warnings. Sometimes he caught glimpses — a glint of armor through rain, the quick twitch of a crossbow aiming at a window before deciding not to shoot. The city itself felt alive, conspiring.
Eventually they spilled into a wide square dominated by a shattered fountain. Statues of old kings lay decapitated in the weeds. On all sides, gutted towers leaned, black windows watching.
That's when Ruel stepped from the shadows behind them, slow clapping, half his iron mask cracked from Rix's earlier blow. His smile was cold fire. "You really thought you could outrun me? I was hoping for more of a chase."
---
Kael shoved Mira behind him, twin blades flashing. "Rix, get them out of here."
But Rix didn't move. Something inside him coiled tight. "No. He wants me. Go — I'll hold him."
"That's the dumbest plan I've ever heard," Renn snapped, lightning sparking from his hair. "We all fight."
Kross bared his teeth in a savage grin. "Agreed."
Ruel only laughed. "How heroic. How absolutely doomed."
He snapped his fingers. From the rooftops, squads of armored enforcers dropped like wolves, crossbows clicking. More Hollowed skittered from alleyways, limbs bending in unnatural jerks. The air thrummed with bloodlust.
Mira screamed. Kross roared and charged, swinging a rusted pipe like a sword. Kael darted ahead, meeting the first enforcer with a slash that opened the man's throat. Renn danced beside him, arcs of blue lashing out.
Rix felt that terrible power surge again. His veins burned molten. With a snarl, he plunged into the fray, punching a Hollowed so hard it cratered into the stones. A crossbow bolt struck his shoulder — pain flared, but he ripped it out with a grunt, spinning to catch another soldier by the breastplate and hurl him through a wall.
---
Amid the chaos, Ruel advanced, utterly calm. His eyes never left Rix. "Show me what else you can do. Bleed for me."
Rix charged. The world blurred. His fist met Ruel's palm with a deafening crack — a shockwave burst out, shattering windows for blocks. But Ruel didn't budge. Instead he twisted, driving an elbow into Rix's gut. Agony exploded. Rix staggered, coughing blood.
Ruel leaned close, breath hot and vile. "You have no idea what's inside you, do you? That's what makes this so delicious."
Rix roared, surging up — his hand caught fire with that same crimson energy, plunging into Ruel's ribs. The Keeper snarled, eyes wide for the first time, as burning veins spiderwebbed across his chest.
Then he laughed — a deep, delighted sound. "Yes… YES! That's it, boy. Give me more!"
He shoved Rix away. Black ichor hissed from the wound, steaming where it hit stone. "I'll be seeing you soon. And next time, we won't be playing."
He snapped his fingers again — and vanished in a storm of writhing shadows, the remaining Hollowed scattering into the rain.
---
The square fell silent but for heavy breathing and distant thunder. Mira ran to Rix, who collapsed to his knees. Kael dropped beside him, gripping his shoulder.
"Still alive, dumbass?"
"Barely." Rix tried to grin. Blood stained his teeth.
Zane stood at the edge of the rubble, shadows whispering. His eyes were far away. "This city won't let us leave. Something's pulling strings bigger than any of us."
Kael glanced at the horizon where lightning painted the sky. "Then we pull harder. We find who's behind this. We burn it all down if we have to."
And for the first time, despite the dread twisting in his gut, Rix believed they just might.