“No!” Orion yelled, pulling at the ropes binding him as the dagger slammed into Arika’s neck. He reached for his abilities. He tried to Swap, to Portal, he even tried to apply his Time Bomb ability to Cain as a distraction.

It was no good. There was nothing he could do. He uselessly tried to push past the limitations of their world and the overarching System. He couldn’t feel the source of abilities, let alone that strange well of power he’d once been able to tap into.

He looked into Arika’s eyes to find her looking back at him. In a space of time that could have been a fraction of, or a handful of seconds, they stared into each other’s souls.

Arika’s anger and righteousness transformed into resignation and sorrow. The furious lines of her face softened, and the bottom of Orion’s stomach fell as she closed her eyes and drooped her head in acceptance, the almost unnoticeable movement an indication of her acceptance.

No one uttered a sound.

Cain started to laugh.

The laugh cut off as the space around Arika flickered, her body seeming to distort as if seen through waves of heat.

A bubble of sound rippled out that was as much felt as it was heard—a mix between static and the roar of an inferno. It ended as quickly as it came, and the world became truly silent, as if sound were a candle, and the burst had burned all oxygen from the world.

The lack of sound was accompanied by a wave of power that shot from Arika and resonated deep within Orion’s chest. He felt his body, his very soul, buzz in response—a strong, immutable thrumming.

In that moment of stillness and silence, the storm began.

Orion felt the power well up from inside Arika. In slow motion, he watched the dagger pushed out from where it was lodged hilt-deep in her neck.

Determination returned to Arika’s face, sharp lines forming on her usually smooth features as her facial muscles contorted.

The rest of the world around them stayed completely still. Cain was frozen in place, head raised to the clouds as he laughed his victory to the sky. The billowing smoke plumes of distant fires looked like strange black mountains drawn in the distance as they ceased all motion.

The power pouring out from Arika swelled and rose. The dagger completely pushed out of her neck. Orion had only a moment to fret the wound left behind before it sealed itself shut; flames licked out unnaturally following the removal of the weapon, cauterizing the wound before flickering out of existence.

Arika’s form flickered as if seen through heat waves once more. He felt her body displace, as if the shape and form of it were wrong. The power resonating out from her seemed to come from every aspect of the distorted image, not just where he knew her true body should be.

Then the flames truly emerged.

Clear white-hot fire that Orion could feel but not see licked out first. Through the distorting waves he could see Cain’s leathers darken and body begin to redden. His legs were consumed by the heat, then his arms and the rest of his body.

The fire transformed as it got further from Arika’s body. It gained color as the heat was spread over a larger area, and the flames span counter-clockwise in a firestorm that originated at her position. It continued to spin, the storm growing ever larger and brighter—first blue, then orange, then red as it expanded and approached them.

In the blink of an eye, the passage of time returned, and with a sound like a breath of air, they were all engulfed by the spinning flames. The world became fire and ash, and a whistling sound like a banshee’s scream tore through the air incessantly.

Orion couldn’t see further than a few meters through the flames, though he could still feel the scattered presence of Arika. The firestorm knocked them all to the side and away from the source as its size stabilized and finished expanding.

Orion felt his arms become free as the ropes burned and gave way within seconds. He could feel his skin slightly burning, so he looked down at his hands, seeing them unblistered—the flames appeared relatively safe for him. The same could not be said for everyone else, however, as it appeared only members of their party were spared the most devastating effects of the firestorm.

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Screams tore over the wailing of the storm as Truth, Angus, and Archer scrambled to pick up the prone form of Frida. Their hair burned and their skin blistered as he watched. Orion felt for his abilities, but they were still locked away by the toxin.

Shadow picked up Gizmo and Femera, easily scooping the familiars up in his burly arms. With a momentary glance, Honeypot and Orion agreed on what they had to do.

They both grabbed an arm, pulling Felsteg with them as they all tried to flee the storm. Everyone seemed disoriented, so Orion got their attention with a yell and led them away from the epicenter that was Arika.

As they moved further away, the heat seemed to subside. They emerged from the flames abruptly, the midday air feeling cool and oddly wet in comparison.

Felsteg groaned, but was quickly drowned out by the groans and hisses of pain coming from the friendly party as they exited the storm.

All of their hair was badly singed, their skin blistered and bubbling hideously. Frida breathed raggedly through cracked lips, the blood from her back wound now dried and burned on her robes by the oppressive heat.

Orion withdrew a flask from his ring and bent down, pouring a Potion of Miraculous Healing into her mouth.

She drank, and her injuries healed before her eyes. She sat up slowly as her skin returned to normal. He pulled out more of the flasks, not wanting to waste time and risk anyone’s health.

Orion bent down, pouring a dose into the unmoving mouth of Felsteg. His skin started to heal, and his face began moving back into shape in a disgusting fashion. The friendly party all drank their dose, causing their skin to heal and knit back together.

Orion worried for the still-unconscious familiars, but he suspected their state was related to the suppressing of abilities rather than any damage received.

Orion turned and walked back toward the blaze.

“I’m going to get Arika.”

“We’re coming,” Honeypot said, and Orion turned and nodded before striding back into the flames.

He easily followed the path back towards her, the power signature unmissable to his senses. He picked up the pace as a worrying realization hit him: the power swelling from Arika was growing, and her very being felt like it was being stretched and morphed.

The heat seemed to get more intense with each step, and it wasn’t long before it dealt damage to his body. As he walked, Orion looked down at a blister forming on his finger as the searing pain assaulted him.

He turned back to Honeypot and Shadow.

“Go back!” he yelled over the scream of the storm.

“What about you?” Shadow yelled in response.

Orion pulled an amulet out of his inventory, showing it to them before equipping it around his neck. The Amulet of Fire Protection provided instant relief as a charge was consumed by the fire.

Four Charges Remaining.

Without waiting for their response, Orion turned and strode further towards the source of the storm.

As the heat increased, so too did the force he had to use in order to keep moving. He wanted to run to her side, but was forced to take step after agonizing step on his path forward. He passed two bodies, or more accurately, two sets of equipment and ashes that had once been Brick and Kauri.

As he glanced at their remains, he felt a charge of protection from the necklace burn away. He kept moving, ever pushing onward against the vicious heat and unrelenting force.

Three Charges Remaining.

He finally caught a glimpse of Arika, or what could be seen through the shimmering waves of heat, anyway. As he stepped closer, the power continued to grow to his senses, his own soul once more thrumming in response.

Another charge of protection burned away.

Two Charges Remaining.

A shape suddenly materialized, and Orion had a moment of confusion before his brain confirmed what his eyes were seeing.

Cain.

His skin was burned beyond blistering, his skin cracked and bleeding all over. His eyes were all that needed to be seen to ascertain his intentions, the madness held within them fixed upon Arika. Around his neck, he wore a familiar piece of jewelry.

Cain also had an Amulet of Fire Protection.

His teeth were bared as he raised his arm, the dagger held within his grasp glowing with a purple light as it plunged down toward Arika.

Orion’s soul responded, unraveling as it had once before in response. The thrumming from Arika helped pull it apart, and where he had previously tried to force the issue, this felt easy—like smooth silk sliding over his body.

He felt the hold of the toxin removed, and he reached within for his abilities. He instinctively tried to move Arika, but it slipped off her like water from a feather. He swapped Cain far away so his dagger found empty air, and he applied his Time Bomb ability. Light spewed from the cracks in the rogue’s skin, the brightness despite the surrounding fire displaying just how low on health the traitor was.

Orion tried to step toward him, intent on taking care of him before retrieving Arika, but he felt himself pulled towards the nexus of power radiating from the center of the storm.

His soul scattered more as he was pulled in, and he felt his consciousness slip from his unraveling body. He flew, able to see his body and the surrounding flames from above. The source of power was consuming him, and he began losing his sense of self.

By the time the disconnected soul joined with the shimmering nexus that had been Arika, it no longer recalled who or what it was.