Darkness wavered in my vision, little sparks of white dancing at the edges.

I gasped and my chest heaved like I’d been underwater for too long. Slowly, my surroundings came into focus—the storage room in ruins. Stone debris and scorch marks covered the floor, and the thick black smoke from Jiho’s infusion had thinned into a hazy fog. A sharp ringing stayed in my ears. I couldn’t tell if it was from the sword or Fern’s pulsating explosion.

I glanced around, head throbbing. Most of the teachers lay scattered, unconscious, or groaning softly. A few, like Laska and Major Philip, were still on their feet, though they looked as though they’d been dragged to the depths of hell and back.

At the center of it all, he stood: Fern, or at least the spectral form of him—glowing green, eyes shimmering with white-hot light. Beside him, Lotrick stood, missing an arm. His face was caught somewhere between guilt and determination. And on the far side—

“Noah?” I croaked.

My brother—or whoever controlled him—was hunched over, clutching his head. Black ooze seeped from his ears; bright red blood trickled from his eyes. He tugged at clumps of his hair as if in a frenzy, teeth bared in a silent snarl. One look at him and my stomach twisted. He looks like he’s going insane…

Major Philip had the black-hooded man pinned in a headlock, but that victory meant little with half the Academy staff unconscious. The elven girl was sprawled on the floor nearby, out cold. Mel and Sora were passed out near her.

Lunafreya was missing. When did she go?

Lotrick turned to Fern. “Is that really you…?”

Fern’s ghostly chest rose and fell with a phantom breath. “Yeah, it’s me,” he murmured. “I—” He glanced at me with eyes full of worry. “I don’t know how long I can stay like this.”

Lotrick’s gaze swept over the battlefield. “You should leave. Both of you. Fern, Erik—anyone who’s still breathing. Any Cinder, hell, any Voidblood! Go! Get on a boat, and travel to a different continent if you have to. You don’t know what’s coming.”

I pushed myself up, legs wobbling. I had reverted to my human form. “Leave? We’re not going anywhere. This is our home—these people are our family. We have nothing else out there, no society will accept us that’s what we are told. I’m not running.”

Fern nodded, spectral glow flickering. “I-I’ve found my place here,” he said. “Even if I can’t… talk to most of them normally, they’re my—” His words caught, and he set his jaw. “They’re my people now.”

Lotrick’s features softened. “Fern…you gentle fool of a big brother. Maybe… maybe so.” He glanced at his severed arm, then exhaled shakily. “You’ve no idea how powerful you two are. Reaching this level of Twin-Soul synergy is… beyond rare. But what they have coming…you can’t stop this. Not with one strong man.” His eyes flicked to me. “Tell everyone I’m sorry for what we did.” Then he turned to Fern, voice dropping. “And sorry for this.”

A faint shimmer gathered around him—like heat waves on scorching pavement. I felt my skin prickle. The air itself seemed to ripple, and Lotrick spun toward Major Philip.

“No!” the Major barked, but before he could tighten his grip, Lotrick yanked the black-hooded man free with one burst of swirling magic. The man coughed, battered but alive.

“Stop—!” Laska tried to spring forward, but Lotrick vanished, reappearing at the fallen elven girl’s side. One touch and her limp body disappeared in another warp of energy. They all appeared by Hopsander’s body.

I staggered toward Hopsander’s remains, horror flooding my veins. “Don’t you touch him—!” But Lotrick was already pressing his only hand to the toadlike torso. Steam rose where he touched, and the blood around Hopsander began to bubble and dissolve. My breath caught in my throat.

“I’m sorry Erik…I need to…to leave. Remember, they will come for you all for…this,” Lotrick said, looking around the room and then at the contorting body of Noah.

Noah lifted his head, black ooze dripping from his chin. He glared at Lotrick with wild eyes. “Landaluce… you leave me now… I’ll kill you,” he rasped. “The second I’m done… with these insects—”

Lotrick’s face hardened, voice reverberating oddly through the heated air. “My brother isn’t an insect. He will end you. You know it. You see their synergy for yourself. It’s over.” He closed his eyes, the last swirl of magic coiling around Hopsander’s remains like a vortex. Then, in a final flash, he vanished—Hopsander’s body, the black-hooded man, and the elven girl went with him.

Silence crashed over us, broken only by Noah’s ragged breathing.

He whipped around, eyes wild, tears of blood streaking his cheeks. “Damnit,” he hissed, gripping what hair he had left. “Damnit… damnit… damnit!”

I swallowed hard, forcing my chimera form to flare back to life—fur sprouting along my arms and the serpentine tail behind me hissing in shared agitation. This time, Fern wasn’t controlling it. It was its own being. Meanwhile, I picked up the singing cursed sword.

“Boys! Move! We need to move!” Laska cried out to Fern and I. “He’s about to—”

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Noah let out a guttural roar. A fresh wave of gold chains erupted from the floor, rattling over stones and broken crates. Dust and rock rained from the ceiling. I saw Laska and Major Philip grab the nearest unconscious teachers, dragging them toward an exit. Waelid, breath ragged, scooped up Piqah, and Fan while Jiho pulled Jako and staggered away.

It’s just me and Fern, I realized, heart pounding. Against him. With Fern outside of my body, it was quiet for once.

Fern’s spirit glided forward, meeting my gaze. Then he gave a resolute nod, Lightcutter glowing in his translucent grip.

I clenched my fists. “You’re really going to leave me with the singing sword?”

He swallowed. “I figured you’d get a little lonely having it be so quiet in your head. You’re too used to me.”

I gave a quick smirk and then we both turned towards my brother.

At that moment, Noah’s eyes rolled back, and he howled like a cornered animal. Chains roiled from his fingertips, the stone quaking under their force. Splintered barrels crashed, sending up clouds of debris and PillarDust in the air. Through the swirling chaos, I could just make out Noah’s silhouette, seething with madness.

“We stop him… now,” I muttered.

Fern’s voice echoed through the dust. “He’s lost his mind, let’s do it. Same plan as before?”

“If ain't broke, don’t fix it,” I said with a smile.

I flung myself forward, half-flying with my chimera wings, while Fern’s spectral form darted beside me. Every chain that lurched in our direction, Fern hacked apart with Lightcutter, the glowing dagger looked like it had grown into a brilliant blazing blade with emerald light.

Noah roared, blood streaking his face. “Die… die… DIE!” Each word caused another eruption of luminous threads, clawing at every inch of space.

I bared my fangs and slashed at an incoming coil. My cursed sword rang with a piercing note, sparks flying as I sliced a path through. I propelled myself in close, ignoring the searing pain of a chain that scored across my shoulder. The stench of my own singed fur stung my nose, but adrenaline pumped through me too hard to flinch. Noah seized the moment and whipped another set of golden strands downward. I only half-avoided the blow; one chain snapped across my side, sending me skidding across loose rubble. My skull rang from the impact.

Fern soared overhead, intercepting a torrent of chains aimed to impale me. His blade shimmered, slicing them all with an echoing chime. Noah hissed, reeling back, opening up his guard for just a second.

That was enough.

I launched off my feet, wings beating. “Noah!” My roar filled the cavernous space. “Remember the park! Remember! Remember how they died!” Before he could conjure more magic he flinched. For one second I had my second miracle for that day, I swung my cursed sword in a brutal arc, feeling it bite into flesh and bone.

His left arm flew free in a spray of dark blood, golden energy crackling around the stump.

Noah shrieked, stumbling midair and holding his stump gushing blood. He swung his remaining hand wildly and a backlash of swirling chains battered me aside. I crashed into a half-collapsed support column, teeth rattling from the impact.

“Damn it—” I choked out, pushing debris off my legs.

Noah hovered in a haze of vicious magic, black ooze dripping from his ears, blood spurting from his severed limb. He should’ve been in shock. Instead, his eyes blazed with insane fury. “You… worthless… SCUM!” he spat.

Then I heard it.

“Erik!” Noah yelled, scared this time.

“No! Scum! DIE!” Noah said again, enraged.

A chaotic surge rippled through the room, shaking the foundation. Cracks spiderwebbed across the floor; piles of stone collapsed with thunderous force. Fern darted in to shield me from the worst of it, crossing blades with Noah’s chain spells in a whirlwind of green light against gold.

“Focus up Erik, have you considered our last option? We may need to kill him.”

Blood pounded in my ears, and I shook my head.

I gathered what remained of my strength, and grunted as I lifted myself off the ground and flew past acrid air to close the gap. Fern followed knocking away the onslaught of chains from Noah’s right hand. Noah reeled back as I flew close, golden tendrils sprouting from his stump, trying to form a new magical hand—but I got there first.

My cursed blade arced in a second savage swing. “Noah—stop!”

The right arm came free in another spray of blood. Noah wailed, tumbling backward, chest heaving. For a heartbeat, I thought we had him.

Then the stumps where his arms had glowed—threads of shimmering, liquid-like gold reached outward, forming crude replacements of magical threads. The sight made my stomach churn.

A deep, unnatural laugh rattled from his throat. He took one step forward, conjured illusions swirling like a vortex. Chunks of the room’s ceiling began raining down, the entire place trembling under his unleashed power. I coughed on the swirling dust.

Fern landed by my side, spectral chest rising and falling as if winded. “We… we have to kill him,” he said, voice thick with grief. “He’ll destroy us all—he’s not even Noah anymore.”

I shook my head, vision blurred with sweat and tears. “He’s in there. I know it.”

Before Fern could protest, Noah’s eyes flickered—shifting from cold fury to sudden, childlike panic. His voice emerged in a quivering tone. “Erik… help… me—” He coughed, face contorting.

The malevolent presence lurched back in control, snarling, “Shut up, brat.” Another flicker of normalcy broke through: “Erik, please, don’t let me—”

I raised my blade, tears burning my eyes. I couldn’t. The single second of recognition was all I’d ever wanted—to see my brother again. If I killed him now, I’d snuff out that last spark.

“Erik!” Fern shouted, Lightcutter blazing at the ready. “Now, while he’s weak—!”

“No,” I breathed, voice ragged. “He’s there don’t you hear?! I can’t—” My arms shook violently. “I can’t kill him.”

Noah’s face twisted in agony, gold energy crackling at his armless sides. Then he roared, summoning a massive wave of power, bigger than anything I’d seen tonight. The chain-spells, ragged and half-formed, grew like massive snakes with tiny bladed edges. Chunks of stone lifted off the ground, swirling in an ever-growing maelstrom. I sensed the roof might cave at any second.

Fern gritted his teeth. “I’ll charge in first—break his guard—just… do it!” His voice trembled with sorrow. “If we don’t end him, he’ll kill everyone. It’s not right for me to kill him, you should do it.”

Hot, frustrated tears slid down my cheeks. “Fern—”

He sprang forward in a burst of green light, slashing at the swirling chains. The room blazed with colliding energies. Noah swiped at Fern with the conjured golden threads that replaced his arms, but Fern’s blade met them in a brilliant shower of sparks.

My body coiled, chimera muscles tensing, then, I leaped. I rushed in behind Fern, sword raised high.

Noah turned to face me, eyes abruptly wide and wet with tears. For a sliver of a moment, I saw my brother’s face, not the monster’s. “Erik—!”

I froze, blade trembling in mid-swing. “Noah…?”

“Erik! God, please, help—”

I choked, hesitated for a moment, closed my eyes, and swung my sword.

Until a sudden whoosh cut the air behind me. Something massive, sharp, and black-streaked past my shoulder.

THUNK.

A giant barbed stinger impaled Noah clean through the chest. My blade has just barely cut into his shoulder.

Noah gasped, and his magic crumbled instantly. With a guttural moan, he dropped to his knees, threads unraveling from his armless stumps. His eyes rolled back, and blood dribbled from his lips as he teetered. Then he collapsed forward, unconscious.

Shaking, I let my cursed blade slip from my grasp. I spun around to be greeted with what could only be described as a gift from the fates themselves.

An entire battalion of heavily armed Cinders flooded into the massive storage room. At the head of the column of trained mercenaries, graduates of this very Academy, stood a tall thin woman in a black-and-red military coat and matching hat. Smoke curled from her gloved hand—she’d just thrown that lethal stinger. And smoke curled from the lit cigar in her mouth.

Her eyes narrowed on me and Fern’s spectral form. “We would’ve arrived sooner if some idiot hadn’t destroyed the main bridge.” She snorted, stepping over rubble with authority. “So. Someone want to explain why the Magelord’s missing both arms, half the school’s in ruins, and…a ghost is here in the Academy?” She raised an eyebrow at Fern.

I stared, adrenaline draining from me in a dizzying rush. Every bruise, every cut, every ounce of heartbreak weighed me down at once. My chimera form receded, fur melting back into bare skin. “I… you… oh god…” A crazed laugh bubbled up in my throat. “You have impeccable timing.”

The woman gave me a curt nod. Behind her, rows of cinders fanned out, weapons at the ready. Some stared at Fern, blinking in astonishment. Others surveyed the carnage in stunned silence. The rest rushed Noah’s unconscious body with…chains.

I tried to speak again, but the world spun. My limbs went slack, and my knees buckled. Fern’s glowing figure loomed at the edge of my vision. I opened my mouth to say something—Anything. But darkness crawled in, unstoppable. My last conscious thought was that Noah was being tied up by the Cinders.

Then the ground rushed up to meet me.