I roared and swung my sword for Flare. Explosions erupted in the air between us. Knocked me back before I could reach her. Little sparks of fire popped like confetti.

Flare had plenty of tricks, but she didn’t know how to fight. Not like I did.

Despite how my legs shook with exhaustion and my side screamed in pain, I stomped forward for her again. Flames shot against me, breaking through my defense. My clothes sizzled. I cried out but didn't let it stop me, even as fire burned away the flesh on my blade hand.

Flare was panicked. Terrified. I saw it in her eyes. “Barbarian!” Flare screamed.

I lunged, driven by a far worse pain. By Nash’s pained eyes when I returned to him and he feared the hope of believing it was true. My friends choking under the Prophet’s power. Elsie listless in Flare’s arms.

A hundred times that I died beneath the eclipse.

I reached out and grabbed Flare's throat with my flaming hand. She screamed from her own fire.

Then she vanished from my grasp and I followed her without hesitation, gasping when we both slammed into a wall. The teleportation hadn’t worked. Dr. Drake must have trapped her in the White Room. It had been a mistake for Flare to travel here.

Grinning, I twisted her hair around my fist and slammed her face into the wall so hard it painted the white red. Flare tried again to transport away from me, but I followed, still gripping her hair. Blood gushed from her nose as she cried.

“Let me go,” she cried. “Enough.”

Pathetic.

“When did you show us mercy?”

Lifting my blade, I looked into Flare’s eyes and drove it straight into her heart. I could hear her ribs crack and separate from the force of the sword and felt the resistance of her body against my weapon. With a finale thrust, I forced it clear through her chest and out her back. The flames died and fizzled. The smoke burning my sinuses drifted up and curled against the ceiling.

Complete shock dropped Flare’s jaw. Had she expected me to spare her?

“This isn’t your world anymore,” I said. The red faded until I stared into the hazel ones of Dr. Henderson one final time. Flare and the god melted into one. Terror and anguish warred in her stare. “If you hurt anyone ever again, I’ll come for you in the next life.”

One last flutter of fear flickered in her eyes, like a reckoning for all that she’d done. Maybe a recognition that she’d lost. Appreciation that after three lives, I’d destroyed her.

And then she was nothing, nothing but an empty body.

I had killed Flare and banished Dr. Henderson from this world.

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Dr. Henderson's body was gone. It had vanished. Like she’d never been here.

Dr. Drake sat down in a white chair, watching me with knowing eyes, but saying nothing.

“I accept the consequences of my actions,” I said. The thrill of victory kept the adrenaline pumping through my body, or surely my wounds would have taken away all my strength. “Thank you and the Collective for giving me the chance to help my people.”

The other woman averted her eyes with her jaw bunched. “Please, don’t thank me.”

I almost asked her if she truly had believed I would not seek justice for all Dr. Henderson had done. “You agree with her. You think it’s barbaric.” Sliding my hand over my wounded side, I eased forward. “It can’t be left to your people to deal with her when you created this problem. She ruled over my world like a god. I have no regrets for what I did. Dr. Henderson chose a life of violence. She needed to taste her own blood for once.”

“Don’t pretend it wasn’t for revenge.”

“Of course it was revenge. But it was more than that. She needed to die by my blade. Now she knows the fear of death. She knows the pain of retribution by those she lorded over.”

Dr. Drake was quiet for several seconds before meeting my stare once more. “I entered so many simulations and live full lives in them. Do you think I’ve never wanted revenge? Or that I’ve never sought it? Do you think I’ve never been hurt or lorded over?” The pain in her eye testified to what she’d experienced. “This is not the way to handle it.”

“It is in this life. Maybe one day when I’ve lived as long as you, I’ll be different. This is my journey and I needed to come to this place. Let go of what you can’t change.”

“Here’s what I’m thinking.” Her tone was sharper than usual.

“Yes,” I said when she didn’t continue.

“You’ve lived a hard life. These are unusual circumstances you’re living in. You should live through a few extra lives before you try joining society.”

“Seems fair.” I hoped beyond hope that was my punishment for killing Flare. It was no small one. Still, it was worth it. I wasn’t yet beyond revenge and I needed Flare to experience the pain she’d caused.

“Don’t make me regret putting my faith in you.”

“You still have it?”

“I would have done the same once. This is the world you live in. I just don’t want you to have suffer through a life of vengeance.”

I rose and took her hand, looking hard into her eyes. “You’re what I’ve been looking for beyond this door my whole life. I’ll never forget that. From here on out, I’ll do my best to honor what you’ve done for us. I swear it.”

Her expression softened. “Be wise, Max. It's hard to fault you when an evolved woman attacked you, but I can't pretend that I'm not disappointed.”

"My world is free of Dr. Henderson and Flare. I guess it takes a demon to kill a god. And I can't apologize for that."

Dr. Drake sighed and rose. "I'll be checking in on you from time to time. No one will have power over your world any longer, however. We'll watch. That's all."

"What about other worlds where experiments are happening?"

"The council voted on the same for them. We've identified other supervisors who devolved like Dr. Henderson. We're trying to remedy the situation."

Dr. Henderson's accusation buzzed in my mind again. "Is what she said true? Did the Collective study the supervisors as well?" I couldn't stand the thought of fighting more gods, but I couldn't pretend that Dr. Henderson was the only issue. The Collective had created these experiments. What if they had devolved too? Fear trickled down my spine.

Dr. Drake lifted one shoulder in a shrug. "I don't have access to information like that."

"What do you believe, though?"

With a pause, her voice softened. "I believe we all need to investigate ourselves, especially the Collective, and that we cannot hope to help young worlds as long as we're willing to hurt simulated ones."

I nodded and smiled. "You'll fight for us until I make it to your world, won't you?"

She took my cheek. "I will. Promise me one thing, young soul."

I swallowed hard. "What?"

"Let the demon die today." Her voice soothed the irritated places in my soul. "Become who you were born to be."