---Hail---

I rear back and slam my fist into the frozen wall of metal, the force of my blow shattering it into countless shards.

Ice and steel explode outward like jagged stars, clattering to the floor in a deafening crash.

Alyse, Keegan, Kat, Claire, and Kylen rush in behind me, weapons raised, their eyes darting over the destruction. I step inside, my heart pounding as my gaze sweeps the room.

"Red!" Alsye shouts before collapsing.

Her knees hitting the cold floor as she buries her face in her hands. Her screams pierce the air, raw and filled with anguish. Kat and Keegan kneel beside her, their expressions stricken as they try to console her.

Across the room, Claire and Kylen crouch over Red's unmoving form.

"Claire!" Kylen yells, his voice trembling.

"I'm already on it!" Claire snaps, her voice steady but urgent. Her hands glow a radiant gold as she presses them against Red's chest, her healing powers igniting over his torn body.

"Fuck," she mutters through gritted teeth. "He's alive, but just barely. Gods, this is going to take everything l've got."

I step closer, my eyes scanning the wreckage. The air smells of blood and scorched metal. My chest tightens when I notice what's missing.

"He took it," I growl, my fists clenching at my sides. "The DragonsBreath is gone. Vermidia has everything she needed."

Kylen looks up sharply, his face pale. "What do you mean, everything she needed?"

I meet his gaze, my voice low and grim. "She's going to do it. She's going to resurrect Iridian."

Kylen's eyes widen in horror, his voice barely a whisper. "No..."

Claire falters for a second, her glow dimming as the weight of my words hits her. Then she nods to Kylen. "Help me," she says softly.

Kylen bends down and carefully lifts Red into his arms. Red looks so fragile, his body limp and covered in blood.

Kylen carries him toward me, his face a mask of determination.

Rage boils up inside me, a storm I can barely contain. I take a step forward, my voice cold and unyielding. "I'm going to find him, and I'm going to kill him."

Kat stands, her bow in hand. "And how exactly are you going to do that? Even Red couldn't kill Domnik."

"Because he was holding back," I snap, my voice like ice.

"I want him dead too-for this," Keegan says, his voice firm, but he looks at me with sharp eyes. "But we need to focus. Right now, we have to get out of here."

A screeching sound echoes through the air, distant but growing louder. It's a sound I know all too well.

Everyone freezes, their heads turning toward the noise.

"Spawn," I say, the word heavy in my throat. "They're here to clean up the mess."

"Then let's move!" Kylen barks.

Claire glances toward the window, where the space station looms in the distance. "We have to launch now, or we're not getting out of here alive."

I look back at the others. "Come on," I say, my voice steely. "Let's get the fuck out of here before they rip us apart."

-

The screeching grows louder, cutting through the air like nails on steel. My heart pounds as I glance toward the horizon. Shadows writhe and twist in the distance-Spawn, dozens of them, maybe more, surging toward us in a relentless wave.

"They're closing in fast!" I yell, ice forming instinctively around my hands as I ready myself for the fight.

Kylen, with Red limp in his arms, shifts his grip and grits his teeth. "Just keep them off me," he growls.

"We will," Alyse says, stepping beside him. Lightning crackles at her fingertips, illuminating her determined face.

"Let's move!" Claire shouts, taking point and sprinting toward the launch site. The massive silhouette of the space station looms ahead, a promise of salvation if we can make it in time.

The first wave of Spawn reaches us. They're monstrous, twisted creatures with spindly limbs and razor-sharp claws. I throw my hand forward, a jagged spear of ice hurtling into one's chest. It shrieks and crumples, but three more take its place.

Keegan teleports in a blur, his batons flashing as he strikes another Spawn down. "We've got to pick up the pace!" he calls, flipping backward to avoid a swipe.

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"I'm trying!" Kylen snarls, his pace steady but slower than I'd like with Red's weight dragging him down.

"Then we'll clear the way," Kat says, loosing an arrow that glows faintly with her energy. It pierces a Spawn's head, dropping it instantly.

The air grows thicker with their screeches as more pour out of the shadows. Alyse launches bolts of lightning, frying several Spawn in a single burst, but even more emerge, their claws glinting in the dim light.

"They're endless!" Claire shouts, her hands glowing green as she hurls toxic blasts at the advancing horde. "We're not going to make it if we stop to fight every single one!"

She's right. We need to keep moving. I freeze the ground behind us, creating a slick barrier that sends a group of Spawn skidding and crashing into each other. "Go! I'll hold them back!"

"No!" Alyse shouts, firing another burst of lightning at a Spawn lunging for me. "We stick together, I'm not losing anyone else!"

A Spawn leaps from the side, its claws reaching for Kylen and Red. I react without thinking, forming a wall of ice in an instant that it smashes into. It shrieks in frustration, but Kat puts an arrow through its head before it can recover.

"I'll give you that one," she says with a smirk, not breaking stride.

The gate to the launch pad is just ahead, but the Spawn are closing in faster now, swarming from every direction. Keegan appears beside me, his batons flashing as he fends off another group. "This isn't working!" he says. "We need a plan!"

"I have one!" Claire yells, already at the gate's control panel. Her fingers fly across the screen as she types furiously. "Get them inside-I'll secure the launch pad!"

A Spawn barrels toward her, but Alyse intercepts it with a bolt of lightning that sends it sprawling. "You good, Claire?"

"Almost there!" she replies, slamming her fist against the terminal. The gate creaks open, the space station just beyond.

"Go!" I shout, ice spreading across the ground to slow the Spawn's advance.

Kylen charges through the gate, Red still cradled in his arms, and the rest of us follow close behind. Claire types one last command, and the gate slams shut behind us with a resounding clang.

The Spawn scream and claw at the barrier, their grotesque faces pressing against the metal.

"We're not safe yet," Claire says, her voice tight. "The station's defenses won't hold them forever. Get to the ship!"

We sprint toward the towering space station, the screeches of the Spawn still echoing behind us. My lungs burn, my body screaming with exhaustion, but I push on. Red's life depends on it.

As we reach the entrance, Claire hits another terminal, opening the hatch. "Everyone inside, now!"

Kylen enters first, carefully laying Red on the floor. Alyse follows, her hands still crackling with residual energy.

I glance back at the gate. The metal groans under the weight of the Spawn, and I know it won't last much longer.

"Move!" Claire shouts, shoving me forward.

We pile into the ship, the hatch slamming shut behind us. The sound of claws raking against metal fades as we're sealed inside.

Claire runs to the controls, her fingers flying over the keys. "Launching in thirty seconds-hold on to something!"

I drop into a seat, my chest heaving as I catch my breath. We made it-for now.

---Alyse---

The rumble of the engines roars through the cabin as the space station rockets off the launchpad. My heart slams against my ribs with each jolt, the force of acceleration pinning me back against the seat. I can feel Red's head resting against my shoulder, his breathing shallow and uneven.

I hold his hand tightly, my fingers trembling as I glance at Claire and Kylen across the cabin. They're frantically checking monitors and control panels, making sure we're not about to blow ourselves up. The rest of the team sits silently, strapped in and battered. No one speaks. No one dares to.

"Come on, hold on," I whisper to Red, my voice shaking. His skin feels too cold, and the faint golden glow of Claire's healing magic is fading from his wounds. It's not enough.

My mind races with everything that's happened. Domnik-no, Dreadwind-plunging the Darkblade into Red. The screams. The chaos. Hail's relentless fight to get us here. The Spawn clawing at our heels the whole way. And now this...this empty feeling, as if we've won a battle but lost everything that matters.

The ship lurches violently, and my heart jumps into my throat. A sharp beeping fills the cabin, and Kylen's voice cuts through the tension.

"We're clear. No sign of pursuit," he says, leaning back in his chair. His hands shake slightly, and his face is pale. "We're in orbit."

A heavy silence follows his words.

Claire exhales sharply and swivels her chair to face me. "We need to get Red stabilized. Now."

I nod, carefully shifting his weight as Claire rushes over. She kneels beside me, her hands already glowing again, but I can see the strain in her eyes.

"I don't know how much more I can do," Claire says softly, pressing her hands against Red's chest. "That blade...it wasn't just physical damage. It's like it left a curse in him."

"No." The word tumbles out of me before I even realize I'm speaking. "No, you can save him. You have to save him."

Claire looks at me, and for a moment, I see the flicker of doubt in her expression. It crushes me.

"Let her work," Hail says from across the cabin, his voice hard and clipped. He's leaning against the wall, his arms crossed, but I can see the tension in his stance.

I glance around the room. Kat sits with her head in her hands, silent for once. Keegan stares out the small window, his jaw tight. None of us looks like we belong here, like we've just escaped death and now find ourselves adrift, literally and figuratively.

Red stirs faintly, a low groan escaping his lips. My head snaps back to him, hope blooming for a brief second.

"Red?" I whisper, leaning closer.

His eyes flutter open, just barely. "Alyse..." His voice is barely audible, rasping and broken.

"I'm here," I say quickly, tears pooling in my eyes. "I'm right here."

He tries to speak again, but his voice trails off, his eyelids falling shut.

Claire pulls her hands back, the glow fading. "That's all I've got for now. He's stable, but just barely." She glances at Kylen. "Get him to the med bay. We'll hook him up to the machines there, buy us more time."

Kylen nods, gently lifting Red from the seat. He moves past me without a word, carrying Red like he weighs nothing.

As the door to the med bay slides shut behind them, the tension in the room thickens.

"We're running out of time," Hail says flatly. "If Vermidia has what she needs, she's already started preparing to resurrect Iridian."

"And we're stuck in space with nothing," Kat says bitterly, finally lifting her head. "What the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Claire stands, brushing off her hands. "We're not completely out of options," she says, walking to the console. "This station wasn't just built as a safe haven. There's tech here that might give us an edge."

Her words hang in the air, and for the first time, I see a glimmer of hope in the others' eyes.

But I can't focus on that. My gaze lingers on the door to the med bay, and all I can think about is Red lying in there, barely holding on.

"Please," I whisper to no one in particular. "Don't take him from me."