AIDAN

I felt the familiar rush of the undertow and the next second I was standing in unspeakable horror. Bodies littered the ground and screaming people ran around me. A man was pushed to the ground before his head was crushed by the stampede of people. It took everything inside of me not to puke. My eyes searched the ballroom and found Nadia blasting three beasts with her flames. I recognized the hideous grey monsters from the first past-life vision I had experienced. The only difference was that these monsters seemed jacked up on steroids. They were comprised of shadows, constantly shifting between solid and vaporous. Nadia incinerated them to oblivion while a man I didn’t recognize but who looked oddly familiar, stood by her side.

"Nadia, who's with you?” I telepathed.

“Don’t worry about him, or me. Lana screamed a few seconds ago from the second floor. You can get to her faster than me.”

I turned to Mr. Serious for help, but he was caught in a battle with ten monsters at once. Had it not been for my enhanced sight, I doubt I would have been able to see him at the speed he was moving.

Where are they coming from? My eyes caught sight of a striking woman in white fitting the platinum-blonde description of Sophia. Behind her was a black hole from which shadow beast after shadow beast came flying out. “Nadia--.”

“I know. She’s mine.”

With her assurance, I let every ounce of power I had flow through me. The physical changes were instant; in particular, the teeth protruding from my gums and the blackening of my skin. Using my heightened sense of smell, I located Lana and leapt straight for her area on the second floor.

As I soared through the air, time stayed at its usual pace, but my eyes picked up every detail down to the tiniest specks of debris in the air. I aimed for the railing and managed to land in a perfect squat position before Ava turned to me.

She had Lana, whose cheeks were stained from her mascara, up against the wall by her neck. I started to rush toward them, but Ava turned back to Lana, and with a quick twist of her wrist, broke Lana’s neck into an extreme angle. Horror washed through me as Lana’s eyes froze and her body slumped to the ground. Time felt like it had stopped and the world around me had cracked. Lana had just died, along with something deep inside of me.

A roar exploded out of me so strong, that it pushed Ava back and shook the foundation of the building. After getting back on her feet, Ava lunged at me and we flew over the rail. I tried to keep her snapping jaw from my face as we landed hard on the marble ballroom floor. Barely feeling it, I stood up and leapt onto one of the massive columns to gain an aerial view. The ballroom was practically empty and Nadia was nowhere in sight. Ava got up snarling and looked around for my whereabouts.

My blood was boiling and everything inside of me was screaming to rip her apart. I pushed off of the column and flew right at her. Upon impact, my claws dug straight through Ava’s stomach and out of her back.

Her shriek sounded more frustrated than pained. Ava rapidly planted her feet onto my chest and pushed off my arms. She turned and flipped through the air, landing on her razor-sharp high heel boots before we rushed towards each other.

However, within the blink of an eye, she was gone. I stopped to look for Ava until I felt her dig her hand into my back. I channeled my rage into my claws and backhanded her against another pillar. My mind reached out to hold Ava against the column, but she broke through my telekinesis.

She dashed forward and managed an uppercut punch, sending me flying through the air. I regained control mid-fall and landed smoothly while Ava climbed up another pillar. Knowing she was planning something, I pushed power into my legs to propel toward her. Soaring towards Ava, I opened my mouth as wide as I could, and sunk my teeth into her neck. Her blood was acidic to the point that I could feel my tongue sizzling. I didn’t care. She had to die.

Ava wailed until she grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me off her. She flipped me over her and held me upside down against the pillar, putting us face to face. After sliding me down a little, she used her mouth of razor teeth to tear into my stomach.

The anger inside of me skyrocketed and I drove my elongated claws into the base of Ava’s neck, above her collarbone. Using the rage I felt at the thought of Lana, I tore a thick layer of skin down to her abdomen. After I caught a glimpse of her insides, she dropped me.

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I landed back on the marble floor and rapidly healed, with my strength back in seconds. Ava landed in front of me and pulled off her torn-down flap of skin. The sickening part was watching her recover in just a few more seconds than it had taken me. I let out another roar and spoke in a guttural voice. “I’m gonna rip you apart until there’s nothing left to heal!”

From the second floor, an upheaval of vibrations and light encompassed the upper area. Once the commotion faded, a figure, moving too fast for even me to see, landed directly between Ava and me. I reached for the Nexus Stone hanging from my neck but stopped when my eyes registered her.

Holding a massive silver spear, Lana's clothes were gone and her body was covered in glistening silver armor. The most unsettling part was her back, which was exposed to reveal a tattoo and not her normal one. It had changed into the outline of an eye that was also blinking.

Lana twirled the huge glimmering spear and circled Ava. “I think it’s time we end this, once and for all, bitch. If you don’t mind, Aidan, this is personal.” Before I could respond, Lana jumped up in a blur of speed. Ava’s face was a sea of panic looking around for Lana.

From a few yards in front of Ava, Lana reappeared mid-air performing a spinning kick, and landed it right into Ava's chest. She knocked Ava back a good hundred feet, hitting a column and knocking it over. Lana landed on her silver armored boots and dashed for Ava, dodging falling debris as she zig-zagged. The last thing I saw was Lana flip through the air and slam down onto Ava.

We can celebrate her not being dead later. I started focusing on Nadia until I had a lock on her. The undertow took me over and I reappeared outside on the large third-floor balcony. I had arrived in time to see Nadia holding Sophia in a headlock. “Oh. Uh, sorry to interrupt,” I awkwardly said, though neither Sophia nor Nadia acknowledged me.

“Say it! Say my name!” Nadia yelled holding on to Sophia.

“Whore!” Sophia screamed.

I placed my hands on my hips, breathed out a heavy sigh, and shook my head. “It’s like she wants to die.”

A loud rumble came from the clouds and Nadia threw Sophia into a small stone statue. Lightning shot down from the sky and struck Sophia as she screamed out in agony.

“It’s Nadia, and I’m gonna make sure you remember it,” she yelled at Sophia. Nadia looked at me and I gave her a look of confusion. “What? The skank insulted my Manolos,” Nadia said fixing her hair and dress while walking up to me. “Look, this hoe said something about getting ready to complete the ritual while you was inside taking care of the chick with teeth. So, I’m just gonna kill her,” Nadia said before turning back to a spasming Sophia.

Sophia moved to the center of the balcony, struggling to maintain her convulsions. “I hope you didn't think stopping us was an option. I have every intention of feeding you those last season knockoffs.”

Nadia seemed bored as she flipped Sophia off. “Bitch, I will mop the floor with you. You don't know me.”

Sophia looked past us. “No, but we both know he does.”

We turned to see the man Nadia had been protecting earlier.

“Dominick?” Nadia was breathless.

Dominick turned Nadia forward and held her against his body. “I'm terribly sorry, Nadia. I really did mean everything I said when we danced.”

Before I could move in to save her, someone held me from behind. The sound of his voice brought back my rage. “Well, if it isn't my favorite pile of flesh,” the prodigy from the park said rubbing his mouth on the back of my neck.

I tried my best to shake him off, but the prodigy’s grip kept me still. “You gotta be kidding me. Didn’t I already tear you a new one?”

“Uh-huh,” he mumbled while sticking his tongue in my ear. “I can't wait to return the favor.”

Nadia and I were pushed over to Sophia and forced to kneel. I didn't know if Nadia was waiting to attack, but I played along to get some answers.

Sophia smiled at the prodigy holding me down. “Right on time, Sebastian. Let me first start by saying, your other friend is dead, while more of mine keep dropping in.” Something white and massive flew from the roof of the manor and landed next to her. I recognized the monstrous Asuwang from the park before it shrunk down into a smaller form. When it was done, a man stood in front of us.

I roared, my eyes welling up from the emotions flooding me. “Jackson?!"

He wouldn't meet my furious gaze.

Sophia took a deep breath and threw her hair back. “Now that we’re all here. I think it’s time we rid ourselves of this little pest problem.”

“First, tell me why? Why kill all these innocent people?” I screamed at Sophia. “You only needed one for the ritual.”

Sophia looked me in the eyes and widened her smile. “Because the party was full of people from different cities across this state, even a few from out of.”

“And killing them meant the virus would spread to their cities as well,” Nadia finished for Sophia.

Sophia looked genuinely relieved. “So glad you two aren’t as stupid as your wardrobe choices. And nice try getting a heads up on our plans, but you should have realized we were one step ahead of you.”

Next to me, Nadia electrified Dominick, but the best she managed from him was a grunt.

My turn. I focused my telekinesis on Sebastian and he flew back. Using my mind, I made a javelin decorating the entryway, fly through the air, and impale him into a wall. Turning to Dominick, I summoned my trademark lamprey imps. Their slithering black forms shot from my hands. “Go crazy, boys,” I said with a mischievous smile.

Dominick let go of Nadia when the worms latched onto his face. I turned to take out Sophia, but Nadia ran past me and tackled her to the ground; leaving Jackson for me.