Time freezes.

Every thought in my head dissolves into dust.

Eldred. Eldred.

How – could – he –?

'ELDRED?'

Kass screams Eldred's name before I can do a thing to stop him. His emotions displayed for the world to see. Shock. Hurt. Betrayal.

For him to see.

Eldred swivels on the spot, his mouth opening a fraction. The moment he spots us, his eyebrows rise so high they disappear into his grizzled hair.

'Damn.'

Meanwhile, Fina stares. At the body of her lover, her protector, as he bleeds at her feet. A hole blinking like a third eye through his brain.

Then – a noise erupts from her lips. A sound I won't forget till the day I die. It's all the agony and horror of the world condensed into one throat-shredding shriek that sears a wound in my memory forever.

The golden lights flicker and die. The fire snuffed out in one chilling breath. Leaving behind nothing but darkness.

'I'll kill you for this.'

There's a crack. And a spark. Through the black, a sizzling, pulsating sphere illuminates Fina's face. It grows between her hands, white at first, then deepening to a rich, electric yellow. The surface is fluid, moving and flowing – orange tendrils fizz out in all directions, until the sphere bursts into two expanding orbs, currents crackling on her fingertips.

'Oh hell.' Eldred dives to the ground.

And suddenly, light is everywhere. The plasma spheres explode, showering the cave in sparks that bounce off the walls and burst into flames. Fina steps forwards and the spheres flow with her, ravenous beasts intent on engulfing everything in their path. She glows, hair standing on end – it's impossible to tell where her hair ends and the sparks begin – and with a simple click, a bolt shoots from her index finger into a stalactite above Eldred's head.

It collapses in an avalanche of rocks, missing Eldred by inches.

The plasma is Fina's fury come to life. It knows no bounds, and the louder she screams, the brighter and stronger it flares, consuming everything. . . I watch as Hayden catches alight, his black curls sparking instantly. Together, for the last time, they blaze.

A sob escapes my lips. My hands are shaking, and with a jolt, I realise that Kass is trying to pull away from me. I lock my arms around his chest, fighting, tugging him as hard as I can away from the cave, tripping over his feet in my desperation to escape.

He's yelling at the top of his voice, but my ears are numb. It doesn't make sense. None of it.

'Do you want to get burnt to death?' I roar instead.

'I DON'T CARE,' he screams back.

I shake him, and he shouts louder. But I keep shaking, and shaking, locked in this useless battle until finally his body sags against mine, his forehead drooping onto my shoulder.

'I don't care,' he repeats, but this time, in a broken whisper. 'We have to help her. We have to.'

Inside the cave, Fina prowls. There's an almighty flash of light and we turn back, glued to the spot in terror.

'FACE ME, YOU COWARD,' she shrieks, blasting another pillar to ashes. 'You can't dodge me forever.'

'You think I'm hiding from you, child?' Eldred's voice, followed by a laugh, echoes from wall to wall. 'You can't hurt me. You are mine, remember.'

He swoops out of the flames behind Fina.

'FINA!' Kass and I scream as one.

Eldred isn't on fire. He isn't alight. He's not burning, he's not blistering, there's not a single mark on him.

His eyes narrow to slits through the flames.

'Oh, come now,' he sneers. 'You really think that after years of toying with you, I'd actually be scared of you? Oh, come ON.' He throws back his head, laughing even harder. 'Fina, my dear! You have to do a lot better than this!'

'YOU SON OF A –,'

Fina swings around and seizes Eldred by the throat. The plasma sphere surround them, glowing hotter and whiter until I'm blinded –

'I'LL KILL YOU!' Fina shrieks, but Eldred just laughs, and laughs, with every squeeze of her hands around his neck –

'And you will be mine.'

With his free hands, Eldred plunges a syringe deep into her neck, and pushes. In an instant, every speck of light dies. And Fina collapses to the ground.

*

'You can come in now, Puffin. Rai. I know you're out there.'

We've sank to the ground outside the cave, Kass slumped in my arms. Rain streams from my hair into my eyes, washing away any sense of hope I have left. I bury my face in Kass' hair, scrunching my eyes.

Whatever you do, just don't look.

But it doesn't matter. I can see it anyway. Fina, lying by Eldred's feet, face down in a pool of Hayden's blood. . .

'She's okay, you know. I wouldn't harm a hair on her head. Why don't you both come in and see for yourselves?' His voice is velvet. Enticing silk. Warm hot chocolate on a stormy night.

It doesn't match the horrors in my head.

'M-m-murderer,' Kass chokes out, struggling to breathe.

'Oh, Puffin. You never could see beyond black and white. That's why you'll never understand the universe's complexities, you know. How about you, Rai? Do you think I'm a murderer?'

His voice is so close. He must be just on the other side of the cave wall.

'I saw you. You killed Hayden. You murdered him.'

'But don't you want to ask me why?'

'No.' I shake my head. Kass' hair tickles my nose, but in a strange way, it's comforting. 'I don't want to hear any more of your lies.'

'Fair enough. I respect that. I can respect that,' Eldred mutters. 'But don't you even want to see if Fina's alright?'

Kass wriggles and I sit up, allowing him to worm his way out of my grasp. His eyes are bloodshot and his lips a little blue.

'I do,' he growls, struggling to his feet. 'I need some answers, asshole.'

'That's more like it,' Eldred chuckles.

'No,' I plead in a hushed voice, tugging on his sleeve. 'Let's get out of here, we've got Jinaka's wormhole. Please. I can't take any more.'

'Fine.' Kass tosses the wormhole to me, and I catch it, fumbling it between my trembling fingers. 'Go then. But I'm staying. If I don't try to help her, no one will.'

A booming laugh erupts from the cave. 'Bravo, that's my boy!'

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

'Why do you have to be so stubborn?' I whisper, my voice catching in my throat. Kass frowns at me, his eyes sharp; but as they meet mine, they soften.

'Don't pretend you'd want me any other way.'

He turns and walks into the cave.

'Oh god. . .' I twist the wormhole around, paralysed with indecision. Then, I curse. As if I can leave him to go in alone.

I catch up with Kass in the opening to the cave, where he stands facing Eldred. Fina is still lying motionless in the chamber. The hate in my heart flashes hot when I see her.

'What have you done to her?'

'So nice of you to join us, sweet Rai,' Eldred smiles, beckoning for me to come closer. When I don't, he sighs, re-positioning his hat on his head. 'I simply administered her last dose. It's why they ran away, you see. Our experiments were, at long last, almost complete and she was ready for the final stage.'

'Of what?' Kass spits. 'Contamination?'

'Oh! So, you think you understand, do you?'

'Who are you really, Eldred?' Maybe I do have some questions, after all. 'A Resister, or a Futurist? Are you even from Tellus? Who the hell are you?'

Eldred regards me, pinching his lips in a look of appraisal.

'I am the Lord Protector Ares Eldred of Ra. I am a professor, and a spy. I infiltrated both the FUTURE and RESIST, and you, my Elementalists, are the children of my dreams. You are mine, and mine alone. Dr Keller, that fool, thinks that he completed your creation, but all he did was follow my instructions. You were born from my sweat, blood and lifelong-work, shielded from harm by me, and brought back by my ingenuity. You see this?' He holds up Kass' button, burnt and black in his hand. 'My invention. Linked to my ultimate wormhole, so I could find you again. The wormhole you hold in your hand? Another one of mine. This world is my battery, my farmyard, my stage, its inhabitants all mere puppets in my show.

'The real world, the one to which you all belong, is further away than you can even imagine. It is my duty to bring you home, and that will remain my duty until I the day I die. I will bring you back home to Ra.'

'Ra isn't our home!' Kass slams his fist into the wall. 'I'LL DIE BEFORE I GO ANYWHERE WITH YOU.'

'Oh, shouty pouty, little Kassius McBoohoo. Cry a little more, will you? I don't think enough people have heard you yet.'

'SHUT UP.'

'Or what? What will you do? Did you not just see? Fina couldn't hurt me. You can't hurt me.'

'How?' I croak. 'How did you not get burnt?'

A smile plays on Eldred's lips. 'I am the Master of visinium.'

'You're evil,' Kass hisses. 'You're just an evil piece of scum.'

'I mean, really,' Eldred huffs. 'It's not even like you've worked out the worst of it. You're unbelievably slow at joining all the dots. Let me give you a little bit of help.' His voice adopts a sing-song tone. 'Why did the Lord Protector of Ra blow up Kass' village? Because they wouldn't give me what I wanted.'

Realisation dawns on Kass. You can see it in his eyes; they widen, but at the same time, shutters come down, casting them into shadow. His mouth opens, but no words come out. He stares at Eldred – beyond Eldred – locked in memories that I can't save him from.

Hate spills over the edges of my heart. Water springs to the surface of my skin, always dormant, patiently-waiting, enveloping my fists. The temptation to strike is so strong, but yet. . . it's not time. We need answers. Kass needs answers.

And if he can't speak, I'll speak for him.

'It was you?'

Eldred seems delighted by the venom in my voice. 'It was me!'

'Why?'

He shrugs. 'Why not? Kass was far too well-adjusted – I had to do something. Broken people are far easier to manipulate, you know. Take you, for instance. Much as I despise Titus, breaking you was the best thing he ever did. I'd congratulate him for it myself, but alas, if we ever come face to face again, I don't think he'll survive long enough for a conversation.'

He's trying to hurt me. To bait me. I can't give him the satisfaction.

I shake my head to control the pain, and give a worried glance at Kass. He's still staring, eyes popping, at Eldred.

'But, I thought the Futurists found Kass because his blocker ran out. . .'

'Oh please. A blocker that just so happens to run out on your birthdays? How cute. Elementalists don't leak out subconscious bursts of energy. . .' Eldred chuckles to himself. 'If you did, you'd all have been found!

'No, that's just what I told your guardians to make sure they returned you to me; a deadline, if you will. It didn't matter when they returned you, visinium does unpredictable things to children under sixteen anyway. I'd rather hoped it would be sooner, but what can you do? Telluns always were greedy - I should have known your guardians might want to keep you. Kass' mother only summoned me in the end because she thought FUTURE would kill Kass if she didn't. That's how I knew where to find Kass. It was that simple.'

'My mum didn't summon you. I did,' Kass whispers, still rooted to the spot.

'No, silly boy. She pressed your button before you, the night before your birthday, hoping I would come to take you away before the Futurists arrived. . . Poor love. She really did believe they were coming for you.'

So many lies.

'But.' I grit my teeth. 'If you're from Ra, why have you been helping us destroy the capsules?'

'Ah,' Eldred nods, closing his eyes in satisfaction. 'Excellent question. Let us consider. Have I? If you think about it, I actually made it rather difficult. Well, as much as I could, that is, without making the Resisters suspicious. It was a very tricky balance to maintain, you know. But, honestly. Who would have thought you'd destroy the first capsule with just one measly soldier for support? You had no idea what you were doing, and practically no training! And really, the fact that you destroyed the second capsule was pure incompetence on FUTURE's part. How useless are they? It's been incredibly frustrating to watch.'

'Except you don't seem all that frustrated.'

Eldred smirks. 'Yes, well. . . It's all about priorities. Capsules can be replaced. I have to think about the long game too – having RESIST and FUTURE under my thumb is much more useful to me in the long run.'

There's another wormhole in my pocket, one he gave us – god, only two days ago? – for the third capsule. I feel acutely aware of it, all of a sudden. 'So, that's why you gave us the third capsule's wormhole. Because you don't care if we destroy it?'

He wavers for a moment. 'Now, I wouldn't go as far as to say I don't care. I'd much rather you didn't. But please, do try the wormhole. You'll like what you find.'

Kass snaps out of his stupor with a sharp intake of breath. 'It's a trap. You wanted to do to us what you did to Fina.'

Eldred sighs. 'Ah, Kass. My poor old Puffin. What can I say?'

Fina begins to stir, and Eldred bends his crooked, arthritic knees, lowering himself gently to the ground.

'Fina? Wake up, sweetheart. We've got work to do.'

'Wha–?' Fina groans. A shaking hand rises to her mop of rusty curls. 'My head. . .'

'How do you feel?' Eldred breaths. The excitement in his voice is palpable. Electric.

'I feel. . . weird. . .'

'That's okay. . . That's just the visinium working its way through your body, making you stronger, more powerful than ever. . .'

'Yes.' A grin unfurls across her ghostly-white features, and her eyes snap open. 'I feel it.' Gone is the gentle, forest hazel of before. Now, her eyes are grey. Cold. Stone. Metallic. Grey.

They flash through the darkness, like light falling across a steel blade.

'Run.' Kass pulls on my arm. 'RUN, RAI, RUN.'

There's a hunger in Eldred's eyes as he leers up at us. The time for talking is dead.

We turn on our heels and sprint out of the cave into the night, our feet pounding through puddles, water splashing over our ankles. I stumble over rocks as the wind sweeps across my cheeks – but I don't care. There's nothing we can do now but run.

'You can't run from me, boys.' There's a bite of annoyance in Eldred's voice. 'You can't escape or stop me. I will find you. I will always find you. Better to give in now than waste any more time. Come back, boys.'

Far sooner than humanly possible, we hear his footsteps, calm and steady, squelching through the puddles behind us.

'Just keep going,' Kass gasps, clutching his chest as he runs, wheezing with every step. 'I've got an idea.'

We're fast approaching the edge of the cliff.

'I really hope so,' I pant, overtaking him and tugging on his elbow to help him catch up. 'He's gaining on us!'

'I know. Just keep going.'

'But where?! There's no way down!' We skid to a halt in front of the cliff face that suddenly drops a thousand feet. My stomach lurches as bits of rocks skitter over the edge. I turn to Kass, unable to stop the tears streaming unbidden down my cheeks.

I don't want to die.

But no. More than that. I don't want you to die.

A whimper escapes. 'I don't – I don't –,'

'I know.' Kass pulls me into a hug, holding me close. I feel every part of his body against me – his grip tightens so much it hurts. The best kind of hurt. Even though we're inches from falling to our deaths, moments from being caught by a psychopathic murderer, for a split second, I feel safe. Safer than safe. Kass' arms are the safest I've ever known.

'It's okay,' he mumbles into my ear. 'I don't want to die either.'

You idiot, I can't help thinking. You idiot.

'You've got to trust me,' he continues, breaking away. But he takes my hands instead, and I look into his eyes, knowing I'll trust him whatever he asks me to do. 'Please. You have to trust me.'

'I do.'

'There you are.' From the darkness behind us, a light shines. Fina. And in her glow, Eldred steps into view. 'I told you. There's nowhere left to run.'

The sky reacts to Fina's presence. Thunder crashes over our heads, the clouds rolling closer, like they're drawn towards her. Lightening slashes through the deepest purple night, and Fina raises her hands, sucking them in.

I remember what she told us. "When I was eight. . . I caught my first bolt of lightening."

This girl is more dangerous than I can even begin to understand.

Kass ignores Eldred, still facing the drop. He sighs, so deeply I hear his chest rattle. 'There's always somewhere left to run. But you wouldn't understand that.'

Eldred laughs again, but this time, with no trace of humour. 'I've run out of patience with you now, boy. I've never liked kids, bratty little creatures; I told you that the first time we ever met. Now, let's review your choices. One: you turn around, surrender yourselves to me and live; or two, you plunge headfirst off that cliff and die in mess of brains and blood –,'

'Then we choose two. You see? Like I said, there's always somewhere left to run. I'd rather run to my death than live a life controlled by you. Ready, Rai?'

People have used me, abused me, all my life. Stolen my childhood, locked me inside my head. Forced me to become someone I never wanted to be.

But you see me differently. With you. . . I'll follow you to the end of the earth if you ask me to.

I'm ready, Kass. Kass. . .

Without waiting for an answer, Kass yanks me by the hand. And together, we pitch off the edge of the world.

Eldred's screams die in our ears, swallowed by the rush of the wind that pulls us down. . . down. . . down. . .