Air. She needed air!
Water churned around her, dragging her down as she fought for the surface. Bubbles floated past her face, the only sign of up or down. Following them, Crystal kicked hard until she burst through into the sweet, lifesaving air. She gasped and gulped as much as she could, treading water. Explosions rumbled in the distance, and the clang of falling metal echoed all around her.
The shipyard was a grotesque mess. It looked as if a bomb had detonated at the center. Containers near ground zero were a molten mass of slag, while those further away had been hurled through the air, punching holes into the sides of docked ships. One of the vessels, meant to ferry the children to safety, had capsized. Crystal shook her head, trying to make sense of it all as she floated in the cold water.
She remembered chasing the Candy Man. He’d seemed… off, like a puppet on strings, leading the children with that slack, vacant look. When she appeared, he’d drawn a gun, firing at her without hesitation while the children continued, oblivious to the chaos. She had tried to fight, to get close enough to stop him—then the explosion hit. It had thrown her across the air and into the water. She was lucky, bouncing between two ships. Any closer and she would’ve smashed into a steel wall.
Above her, metal groaned and strained. She turned toward the shore, pushing through the frigid water. Her limbs ached with every stroke, her breath puffing out in gasps, but she relished the cold. It kept her grounded, shielding her from the blazing heat that radiated from the fires still burning on the docks.
After what felt like hours, she dragged herself onto the dock, her body shivering violently. What had happened to Clayton’s shadows? Had they been destroyed? Likely. His shadows were powerful but fragile when faced with direct hits, especially magical ones. Crystal’s body trembled, not just from the cold, but from memory—the painting of John in the desert, surrounded by those flames. These flames, shooting up in gold, red, blue, and white, were magical too.
She had to find him.
Up close, the destruction was worse. Metal containers dripped molten slag, glowing red and orange in misshapen heaps. Toxic gases escaped in bursts from the ruined storage units, and on the far side of the shipyard, explosions still rocked the area. Containers rattled and clanged as they were thrown through the air, crashing down like thunderous rain. Nothing compared to the blast that had thrown her, though. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought of the children. Near the center, a towering inferno blazed, casting eerie light over the ruined shipyard.
She nearly collapsed right there, but caught herself. Don’t stop. Keep moving. This wasn’t over. She couldn’t let herself break down now, not when there were people who could still be saved. People she loved who were in danger now.
A clattering noise pulled her from her thoughts. Crystal spun, dropping into a low crouch. Her weapons were at the bottom of the ocean, but she wasn’t helpless. She flexed her claws, readying herself for whatever came. The noise grew louder, a screeching sound of metal tearing apart. Molten slag slid down the side of a container, the mass groaning as something pushed it outward.
Crystal ducked as a shard of metal flew past her head, but as she braced for an attack, the silhouette of a large creature emerged—a familiar shadowy mole. Relief washed over her. Sure enough, the cowboy hat popped into view as Clayton climbed out of the hole. He nodded toward her, blood running down his face, but grinning as if they were at a casual meet up.
“Well, howdy. Fancy seeing you out here tonight,” he drawled, his easy grin completely at odds with the carnage around them.
Crystal scowled at him. “Are you enjoying this?”
“Of course not,” said Clayton gruffly. “But I gotta show you something. I think it’ll cheer you up a bit.”
He nodded behind him and walked back through the tunnel. The giant shadow mole loomed over her as she carefully made her way into its depths. The air was stiflingly hot, leaving a metallic taste of iron in her mouth. She pressed on, thankful the tunnel wasn’t long. It grew dark for a moment before light burst through the exit ahead. Crystal muttered a small prayer of thanks to Loreth—at least the oppressive heat hadn’t lasted too long.
When she stepped outside, her eyes widened. Blue fire raged here, marking the spot where the blast had melted everything in its path. Even the concrete had warped, cooled in eerie, unnatural waves. The blue fire still burned fiercely, and within its depths, Crystal saw them—the children. Floating a foot in the air, asleep and un-bothered as they bobbed slowly up and down in a single file line.
“Clayton, get them out!”
He shook his head. “Na. They’re safer in there than out here. You ever known John to hurt a kid?”
Crystal stared in amazement. “He’s still controlling this? Where is he?”
Clayton nodded toward the firestorm still raging at the center of the yard. “This is all him. The kids are fine, but we need to get this under control before he burns out.”
Crystal’s breath caught. She hadn’t even thought of that. Her magic didn’t burn out like John’s, but some powers—like the wild fires John created or the nightmares Kieren spun—could drain a person dry. When their energy was gone, the magic turned on the body, devouring it uncontrollably until there was nothing left. It drove magic users mad with pain, many time resulting in even more damaging magical outbursts before they passed. Burnouts could wreak havoc before killing their users, and that was a risk she couldn’t ignore.
It could be happening to John right now. Burnouts were exactly what Filious Vires existed to prevent—they killed magic users before things could spiral this far. But what would they do about John? She didn’t want to think about what it would mean when they found out about this... or what might happen if he burned out completely before they could.
She looked around, taking in the destruction with new fear. The fact that John could control this magic from afar was impressive, but it was pushing him too far. This was too much. It had to be draining enormous amounts of his energy—more than anyone should be able to handle without collapsing. Crystal bit her lip, pushing back the familiar worry that surfaced whenever she thought of him. She couldn’t let her emotions get in the way. First, she had to protect the kids. Then she could help John. She was a soldier, and there was work to do. Emotions couldn’t get in the way here. Not even for him—not anymore.
She nodded to Clayton, who turned and motioned toward the figure Crystal had only now noticed—a woman standing near the tunnel's entrance. Crystal hadn’t even realized she was there, overwhelmed as she was by the sight of the children. It was Greta, an associate from the Nexus of Balance, her magic specializing in sensing and locating other magic users with eerie precision. The firelight glinted off her large, librarian-style spectacles.
So that’s how Clayton found me, Crystal thought.
"Hello, Greta," Crystal said with a calm, painful smile, as if they’d run into each other on a quiet Sunday stroll. How the hell does Clayton do that? She forced herself to breathe, trying to channel even a fraction of his ease, but all she felt was the knot of worry tightening in her chest.
Greta gave a silent nod in return. Crystal raised an eyebrow at Clayton, who shrugged.
“Wasn’t me. John called the Nexus, asked for Greta in case we didn’t make it. She was nearby, checking for any magical signatures heading out to sea. Figured we might have a few runners try to get away.”
Crystal muttered, “So much for not trusting the Nexus.”
Greta didn’t seem to notice.
“John does what he has to. Whatever his faults, he’ll always put the kids—and the mission—first,” Clayton said, gesturing to the blue flames encasing the sleeping children. He paused, glancing toward the firestorm in the distance. “But, damn, if he doesn’t have some strange ways of doing it.”
Clayton’s tone was casual, but Crystal didn’t miss the flicker of something deeper beneath it—he knew about John’s guilt. Everyone did, to some extent. But Clayton never pressed, never asked more than John was willing to share. Still, the way he spoke now, it was clear he’d seen the weight John carried.
A thunderous roar erupted from the heart of the shipyard, shaking the ground beneath them. Crystal staggered, the sound vibrating through her bones. The flames around them writhed and surged as if in response. Greta shifted uncomfortably, and the shadow mole loomed protectively over her.
The roar sounded again, a deafening wave of power. Crystal instinctively moved forward, knowing Clayton and Greta would follow. She traced the line of sleeping children, each protected by John’s magic. Any time she got too close to the blue flames, they rose defensively, crackling with murderous intent. She stumbled as another roar crashed through the night, forcing her back momentarily. Still, she pushed on. John was protecting the kids. He was making sure they weren’t hurt. He would never unleash his power like this on purpose, not with innocents in the area. Something must’ve happened to make him lose control.
The roar came again. Crystal forced herself not to think about what was causing it. She had to stay focused. John was at the center of the flames, and she had to reach him.
Clayton helped Greta follow as Crystal made her way forward. But soon, the path was blocked by a wall of melted metal. Crystal stopped and glanced back at the others. Greta wiped her fogged glasses, then pointed to the area directly behind the barrier.
“John is just beyond that,” Greta said, her voice steady. “There are four other magic users present as well. One is a child.”
She paused, cocking her head in confusion as her eyes flickered to Clayton. “Three of the magic users are at level four... except for the child. But John—he’s a level six.”
Clayton stopped in his tracks, a frown deepening on his face. “A level six?”
“When I first met him, he was barely a level two. You had me check him three times.” Greta’s brow furrowed. “Magic classifications aren’t supposed to change that much once they’ve manifested.”
Clayton just shrugged. “We’ll ask questions later. Right now, it doesn’t change what needs to happen.” He gestured to the shadow mole, which began tearing into the side of the nearest container. They waited in silence, the only sound being the rending of metal as their passage was created.
Minutes later, the mole finally broke through. All three of them stepped inside, stunned by the sight before them. An inferno of flames swirled in tight circles. To the side, a child lay on the ground, still sleeping under John’s protective blue flames.
Tendrils of red and orange twisted through the night sky, their searing heat palpable even from a distance. The roar came again, and Crystal realized where it was coming from. The flames at the center were denser, writhing and pulsing with energy. She squinted, scanning through the flames until she saw them take shape—four fiery pillars holding a swirling mass at the center. That had to be John. She couldn’t see him, but she could feel it.
Clayton pointed silently, not wanting to attract the attention of whatever lurked within the flames. Crystal followed his gaze. Off to the side, barely visible, was an opening into a container. Inside, the faint glow of a cell phone flickered.
“DeVito?” she whispered.
Clayton nodded grimly. Crystal looked back at the swirling mass of fire as it let out another bone-rattling roar. DeVito knew John was looking for him. That’s why he was hiding.
“Don’t do it. Already tried,” Clayton whispered, his voice urgent. “John sees anything other than those kids with the faintest hint of magic, he wipes it out.”
Crystal stared at him, dumbfounded. “How’s he protecting the kids?”
“Dunno, but I’d bet everything I have he’s not all there right now,” Clayton said, tapping the side of his head for emphasis.
Crystal frowned, scanning the fiery scene. “Where is he?”
Clayton just waved at the swirling mass of fire and energy in the distance. “He’s still in there. Somewhere.”
He glanced at Greta, who nodded in confirmation, her sharp eyes still focused on the flames.
“So, what do we do now?” Crystal asked.
Clayton shrugged, lighting a cigarette with a weary sigh. “We wait. His fire will start dying out eventually. If there are signs of a burnout coming, we jump in.” He took a drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Liz is here, apparently, keeping an eye on the civilians so they don’t wander into this mess.”
Crystal felt a flicker of relief at the mention of Elizabeth. She was one of the strongest magic users in the world, possibly the strongest. Her ability to extend and manipulate her magic over long distances, similar to Clayton’s, was formidable. The difference was that Elizabeth’s magic wasn’t sentient.
“Only one person is trapped inside the container,” Greta interrupted, gesturing toward the left.
Crystal turned and, after a moment, spotted it—a narrow passage leading to a dead end. There, Kieren was furiously shaking another figure: the Candy Man. The sharp intelligence he’d shown earlier during their fight was gone. Now, he stared blankly ahead, barely reacting to Kieren’s frantic attempts to rouse him.
Clayton chuckled darkly. “That idiot isn’t in control of the Candy Man anymore. Better for us if they’re split up from DeVito. Don’t want them running off.”
Crystal narrowed her eyes. “DeVito must be calling them. Why isn’t it getting through?”
“If Liz is here, you can bet Max is nearby too,” Clayton said with a smirk. “She probably fried the nearest cell tower on her way in. She’s as destructive as John, but at least hers is intentional.”
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Crystal shook her head. Max was reckless but always reliable in a pinch. That whole family had an unsettling genius for magic. She was grateful John had thought to call for backup. He might charge headfirst into danger, but he never took chances when other lives were at stake.
Movement at the dead end caught Crystal’s attention. The Candy Man had stood up, seemingly drawn toward the direction of the container where DeVito cowered. Kieren continued shaking him, clearly frustrated, but the Candy Man wasn’t focused on him anymore. His gaze locked on the container.
“Psst, Clayton,” Crystal nudged him. “I think DeVito’s got the Candy Man’s attention.”
Clayton scrambled to his feet, eyes narrowing as he looked over. The roaring flames made it impossible to hear what Kieren was saying, but they could see DeVito now, leaning out of the container, his mouth moving as if whispering to the Candy Man.
“Why would he…?” Crystal squinted, focusing on the flames between the two men. Then she saw it—something in the magic was off, as if the flames were brushing against something unseen. “Shit. DeVito can use his magic from afar!”
“We need to move, now, or he’s gonna get away!” Clayton growled.
He inhaled sharply from his cigarette before coughing violently. After a few hacking breaths, he tried again. With a large exhale, he summoned a sleek feline shadow and pointed it toward DeVito. Without a word, the shadow creature darted forward, twisting unnaturally around the destroyed metal. A roar echoed as the magic flames detected the movement, and tendrils of power shot out in response, trying to intercept the shadow beast.
Kieren screamed in terror, letting go of the Candy Man as the tremendous noise reverberated through the air. In an instant, the Candy Man vanished, reappearing next to DeVito at the container’s opening. DeVito grinned sadistically, shouting something in the Candy Man’s face as the shadow beast leaped toward them.
The creature’s claws extended, slicing through the air mere inches from both their heads, but it hit nothing. The Candy Man and DeVito had disappeared into thin air.
The shadow beast crashed into the container with bone-rattling force, followed by a torrent of white-hot flames that heated the metal until it glowed like a star. Crystal shielded her eyes from the blinding light, but her heightened senses picked up Kieren’s shriek:
“Don’t leave me!”
Suddenly, everything went deathly silent. The flames froze midair, eerily still, as if waiting. Then, as if realizing its prey had escaped, the fiery mass roared louder than ever. The force of it threw Crystal and the others to the ground, their hands instinctively clamping over their ears.
The flames gathered, forming into a silhouette—the silhouette. It had started on all fours, but now it rose to its full height. A thick, flaming tail smashed into the ground, sending cracks spidering through the concrete. Horns sprouted above a face of pure, raging flame, and two red eyes blazed, casting the world in blood-colored light. John’s body was burning out.
He towered over them, an 18-foot giant, glaring down at Kieren, who shrieked again, fumbling desperately in his pockets as the demon stalked closer. Crystal saw Kieren jab something into his leg—a syringe—before his body convulsed.
The demon roared, raising a massive fist, ready to crush Kieren. In a panic, Kieren stumbled forward, reaching toward Crystal and the others as if only just noticing them.
Crystal felt a sharp blow to her head and knew something was wrong. Another presence invaded her mind, suffocating her thoughts. She gasped for breath, hyperventilating. John was out of control. He wasn’t just John anymore—he was a demon. And he was going to kill them all.
Someone yelled her name, but she couldn’t focus. She squeezed her eyes shut as terror overwhelmed her, constricting her chest like a vice. Then, suddenly, something ripped free of her—an excruciating tearing sensation, like her soul being wrenched out. As she collapsed, she saw a multicolored mist spill from her and Greta, who lay beside her, and flow toward the demon and Kieren.
Only Clayton remained unaffected, his magic smoke swirling protectively around him. The mist, drawn by Kieren’s magic, coalesced into a dark, mirror image of the demon. Crystal’s fear surged again as the two forces collided. The shockwave blasted everyone backward, sending Crystal tumbling yet again. She groaned, exhausted from being knocked down so many times.
“He’s making a run for it!” Clayton shouted, his usual calm replaced by urgency.
Kieren was halfway up the melted mountain of shipping containers, trying to flee while his magic fought John’s.
“What did he do?” Greta groaned from the ground, clutching her head.
“No time to figure it out!” Clayton snapped. “Work with what we know. He can control magic from a distance, just like John. We need to be in his line of sight to stop him.”
Without waiting for an answer, Clayton ran off after Kieren. Crystal scrambled to her feet and followed, knowing Greta could take care of herself. Kieren had to be stopped before he caused even more destruction. John wasn’t the only one burning out—Kieren was on the verge too. And if he lost control completely, things could get a lot worse.
As they ran, Crystal noticed the black smoke rising from Kieren, a sign that his magic was unraveling. She had no time to lose. If they didn’t catch him, the collateral damage would be catastrophic.
She easily overtook Clayton, who was struggling to keep up with his hacking coughs. She needed to get to Kieren fast. There were methods—developed by the Guardians—to neutralize out-of-control magic users without killing them. Right now, she prayed they would work.
Crystal wished she had tested her theory before now, but there was no time like the present. She raced after Kieren, leaving Clayton behind. Kieren dodged around fallen trucks and toppled light poles, his path erratic as he fled. Flashing police lights illuminated the warehouse ahead, and a group of officers stood in front, their guns drawn and aimed at the approaching man.
“Stop where you are!” shouted one of the officers, aiming down the sights at Kieren.
Kieren slashed his arm through the air, and a trail of ashen smoke followed. The officers collapsed as one, thrashing and moaning on the ground. Swirling lights—nightmarish and ethereal—drifted out of them, coalescing into ghoulish creatures born from their dreams.
Crystal reacted instinctively, raising her gun and firing two shots at the nearest creature’s head. Its head snapped back from the force, but it showed no sign of pain. It growled, advancing on her. Kieren continued to run, disappearing behind the nightmare creatures as they began tearing into the officers, blood flying through the air. The men’s screams filled the night.
Crystal emptied her clip into the creature, but it was relentless. Guns weren’t going to stop this thing. Magic was needed to destroy magic. She holstered the gun, reaching for her knives—then paused, realizing they were gone. They had fallen during the initial explosion or the scramble through the water earlier.
“Damn it,” she muttered under her breath. She quickly scanned the ground but saw no sign of the weapons. Clayton, however, was already at her side.
“Looking for these?” Clayton said casually, tossing her a pair of long, curved blades. His own runes shimmered faintly along the edges of the steel.
She caught them mid-air and blinked in surprise. “How...?”
“You’re always losing those things,” Clayton said with a smirk. “Figured I’d keep a spare set for you. I’m not letting anything happen to either of you out here—not if I can help it.”
Crystal nodded in thanks, gripping the blades tightly. The weight of them in her hands was reassuring. She had lost count of how many times Clayton had pulled her—or John—out of the fire, always watching their backs, even when they didn’t notice.
Runes of the Guardian language were etched deep into the metal, their meaning as familiar to her as breathing. Her magic allowed her to extend her nails into razor-sharp claws, and with a delicate slice of her finger, her blood seeped into the runes, sharpening the blades with a power no forge could match. The runes glowed faintly as her magic mingled with the carvings, and she knew exactly what was written into them: Tear, Cut, Kill.
Before she could launch her attack, a shadow barreled past her, crashing into the nightmare and shredding it to pieces. Clayton had finally caught up.
“Don’t let that slimy bastard get away!” Clayton shouted.
Kieren bolted across the street, cars honking as they screeched to a halt to avoid hitting him. Just as he reached the intersection, an explosion rocked the air. Demon John hurled the giant nightmare across the sky, and it crashed into the middle of the street, barely missing Kieren. He dove to the side, struggling to escape the chaos.
Sirens blared, smoke billowed thick from the burning buildings, and Demon John roared as he advanced on the fallen nightmare. The demon opened its mouth and spewed white-hot flames. The nightmare screeched, howling as the fire consumed it. John’s demon let out a victorious roar, the street around him bubbling and warping from the heat.
Crystal's heart raced. This is getting out of hand. They needed to catch Kieren—and they needed to stop John. Both tasks seemed impossible now. She glanced at Clayton, who looked just as lost as she felt, his gaze flickering between the combatants.
With another furious roar, Demon John sent a gout of flames at Kieren. Kieren shrieked and closed his eyes, bracing for death.
But the flames stopped, splashing in all directions as if hitting an invisible wall. Crystal breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Elizabeth Walker coming down the street, her eyes blazing with a silvery light. Magic energy flickered along her outstretched arms, and beside her was her daughter, Maxine, holding a military phone—no doubt coordinating damage control with the Nexus of Balance.
“If anyone can get John under control, it’s Elizabeth,” Crystal murmured, watching as the demon sent another blast of flames at Kieren. The fire splashed harmlessly against the magical barrier Elizabeth had raised.
Realizing its prey was unreachable, the demon turned its attention to Elizabeth, roaring in fury.
Thinking he had been forgotten, Kieren tried to slip away, edging toward a dark alley. Without a sound, a shimmering force field materialized around him, knocking him flat on his back. Elizabeth kept her eyes on John.
“Clayton, what’s going on with my nephew?” she asked, her voice steady despite the chaos.
“It’s John,” Clayton said, motioning toward the demon.
Elizabeth’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the monstrous form of her nephew. Crystal couldn’t even imagine what Elizabeth must be feeling, watching her own blood turned into something so dangerous. But Elizabeth composed herself quickly, turning to Max and the soldiers at her side.
“Focus on John and Kieren. The rest of you, get the civilians out of here,” she commanded.
Max and the others nodded and scattered, quickly moving to assist the Nexus soldiers. Crystal ran up to Elizabeth, Clayton close behind.
“How can we help?” Crystal asked, feeling the weight of the situation but deferring to Elizabeth’s expertise. No one could match her power.
John’s demon continued spewing flames, but they splashed harmlessly against Elizabeth’s barrier. Kieren, realizing he was momentarily safe, huddled behind the protective field, too frightened to move.
“Contain him,” Elizabeth said, nodding toward Kieren. “We can’t let him get away.”
“We can’t get close,” Crystal warned. “He can use his magic at a distance. We don’t even know his full range yet. You should be careful too.”
Elizabeth frowned at that but quickly turned and shouted for Max.
“Maxine!”
Max had just returned a lost child to their parents when she rushed over, her eyes flickering between John and Kieren. John was pounding on Elizabeth’s barrier now, his fiery rage so intense that the heat was searing Crystal’s skin even from several yards away.
“Take him down!” Elizabeth shouted above the roar, nodding toward Kieren.
Max leveled her gun at Kieren, who looked around in terror, raising his hands as if to surrender. But Crystal saw it first.
“Watch out!” she yelled.
Kieren’s body was already burning out, black smoke billowing from his skin. Everyone had assumed he was too close to death to be a threat, but that had been a mistake. Kieren drew deeply on his magic, the black smoke intensifying.
Max staggered, dropping to one knee as John’s forceful blow shattered the barrier. Multicolored lights flew from Max, Elizabeth, and several of the injured civilians still being helped by the Nexus soldiers, all swirling around Kieren in an ominous display of power.
Nightmarish creatures rose around Kieren—ghouls and monsters with scales, tentacles, and claws, writhing from the magic he summoned. Some of the magic flowed into Kieren himself, and he shrieked in pain as his body began to change. His bones snapped and rearranged, horns sprouted from his forehead, and his frame swelled, a magical purple haze surrounding him as he began to float off the ground.
Crystal, far enough from Kieren to avoid the transformation’s direct impact, dashed forward. One of the nightmare creatures lunged at Max, who was struggling to rise. Tentacles lashed out at her, blindingly fast. Crystal moved faster, slicing through the tendrils with her blades before charging the creature and decapitating it with a swift motion.
Max let out a breath of relief, nodding at Crystal before they both turned to face Kieren. He towered over them now, larger than before but not as monstrous as John’s demon form. Black smoke billowed from Kieren’s body—he wouldn’t last much longer. Burning out could take minutes or hours, but the result was always the same: death.
Concerned, Crystal glanced at John, who still had only tendrils of black smoke woven into his bright flames. He was showing the early signs, but even after using so much magic, he hadn’t reached the point of no return yet. Maybe they could still save him—if they could stop him.
Liz pulled herself to her feet and ran to join them. “How can he do that?” she asked, her voice filled with disbelief.
“Same as Filious Vires, the Nexus of Balance keeps records on known magic users,” Crystal replied. “Kieren’s file didn’t mention anything like this.”
“He injected himself with something,” Crystal added, shaking her head when Liz frowned.
“Xylithium?”
“No. This was something else.”
Kieren—now fully transformed—roared a challenge and hurled himself at John. The two giants crashed into a nearby building, steel beams melting and folding under the heat of John’s flames. The other nightmare creatures Kieren had spawned began their attack.
Liz threw up a shimmering wall between herself and the oncoming monsters, their claws sparking as they raked across her force field. Liz curled her fingers into a claw-like gesture, forcing the barrier to form a sphere around the creatures. The orb levitated as the creatures inside screeched and slammed against the magical walls. Liz clenched her fist sharply, and the sphere shrank until it was no larger than a marble. With a sickening crunch, the creatures were crushed. The blood-soaked sphere shimmered briefly before darkening and dropping to the ground with a dull thud.
Crystal shuddered. She had always known Liz was powerful, but moments like this reminded her of why the Nexus of Balance was such a feared force. Liz’s abilities were on another level—while most magic required physical touch, Liz was an anomaly.
Max, no less skilled, manipulated her powers with equal precision. Using her ability to control magnetic fields, she launched herself into the air, attracting and repelling metal to maneuver. From a higher vantage point, she aimed her custom rifle, designed to fire magnetized bullets at hyper-sonic speeds. The gun let out a peculiar shriek as she fired, and one of the horned creatures was torn in half.
Another monster, composed primarily of smoke, wasn’t as affected. It swirled down the street, still pursuing a civilian. Crystal swiped futilely at it with her knife, but the blade passed through the creature. Max shot two more bullets through its form, causing it to tremble in rage. Crystal raised her knife again, ready to draw its attention, but paused when she saw Max wildly waving at her and then pointing toward John.
A sinking dread filled Crystal. Max is about to do something reckless. Again.
The smoke creature surged toward Max, but she was ready. She repelled herself off the building and shot higher into the sky, the creature following. Max dove toward a car below, using her magnetic powers to hover just above it. The monster wasn’t so lucky—it was caught in a blast of fire from John and Kieren’s clash, burning away silently in the intense heat.
Crystal beheaded another creature that threatened a child. Flames roared behind her as she dove, rolling the boy into a protective embrace. They scrambled behind a large truck for cover just as a wave of fire surged overhead. The heat was unbearable. Crystal smelled burnt hair and crouched lower, shielding the child.
When the flames finally subsided, Crystal peeked around the truck and saw Max grinning, giving her a thumbs-up from behind another piece of cover. Crystal groaned. Max was enjoying this.
Liz, however, stood her ground in the midst of the chaos, using her magic to divert the flames. The civilians had been evacuated, and Crystal handed the child over to a Nexus member who rushed him to safety.
Now, with their rescue duties complete, the three women stood and watched helplessly as John and Kieren continued their battle. Crystal knew Liz’s powers had limits—not in strength, but in range and complexity. Even Liz couldn’t match John’s raw magical force in a direct confrontation. Crystal’s thoughts flickered to the grenade John had jumped on. Could he even be killed? A sense of dread filled her, and she reassured herself that Kieren wasn’t influencing her emotions again.
As the battle raged on, Crystal noticed something. The smoke and ash surrounding Kieren were thickening—he was reaching his limit. Magic users like Kieren, when pushed too far, burned out. He was almost gone.
Kieren’s body smoldered, parts burning, others smoking without heat. He roared in a language Crystal didn’t recognize: "Ruzul Karath, helsthran. Vorid Xalith!"
John’s demon form paused, head cocked as if considering Kieren’s words. Kieren extended a hand, as though offering an alliance. Crystal’s heart sank—John might understand. But instead of accepting, John seized Kieren by the throat. With a roar that shattered windows, he unleashed a torrent of flames, incinerating Kieren’s body.
As the dust settled, the women braced for what might come next. Clayton joined Crystal, standing close as Nexus members gathered. John’s power was immense, and though dark streaks of smoke marred his flames, he wasn’t burning out.
John looked around, lost and confused, as if searching for something. Then, as if sensing a distant pull, he turned and stomped off toward the docks.
Liz, Max, and the others prepared to follow, but Clayton held up a hand. “I don’t think we need to worry anymore. He’s not violent now. Let him be.”
They all exchanged confused glances as Clayton gestured toward the docks. “He’s going back to check on the children.”