2025-12-29 22:15:57
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Chapter 167
Her voice was low, calm, carrying none of the heat or fury that had been saturating the tunnel moments before. "Breathe."It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order, delivered with the quiet confidence of someone who knew she would be obeyed.For a long moment, Cassian just stared at her, his chest heaving with angry breaths, flames still flickering along his arms. Then, slowly, the fire began to die down. The tension in his shoulders eased fractionally. His jaw was unclenched enough that he could probably speak without grinding his teeth.He took a deep breath,in through his nose, out through his mouth,then another. The flames extinguished completely, and some of the wild, desperate quality left his eyes.Kira waited until she was sure he'd regained control, then let her hand drop from his shoulder. She turned to face Marcus and Sera, and her expression remained calm, professional, but not unkind."Marcus. Sera." Her voice carried that same low, soothing quality. "Did you find the R
Chapter 166
Cassian's face went through a rapid transformation. The worry and concern that had been there moments ago,the relief at finding Marcus and Sera alive,drained away like water through a sieve. What replaced it was something darker, something that made the air around him seem to heat up noticeably.His jaw clenched so tight that the muscles stood out in sharp relief. His eyes, which had been scanning his teammates for injuries, went hard and cold. His hands, still wreathed in the fading remnants of his flame attack, clenched into fists so tight his knuckles went white."No?" The word came out quiet, almost a whisper, but it carried more threat than a shout would have. "No? You didn't find it?"Then the anger exploded."NO?!"His fist shot out and slammed into the dungeon wall with a force that sent cracks spiderwebbing through the stone. The impact echoed through the tunnel like a gunshot, and chips of rock scattered across the floor. His knuckles split open from the force of the blow,
Chapter 165
Marcus,the young man who'd been holding the flame torch earlier,had extinguished it minutes ago when they'd heard the beasts getting closer. Now they sat in complete darkness, relying on sound and feeling alone to tell them where the danger was.Sera was pressed against his side, her injured leg stretched out at an awkward angle that had to be painful but that she couldn't adjust without making noise. Her hands gripped Marcus's arm so tightly he could feel her nails digging into his skin through his sleeve, but he didn't complain. The pain kept him focused, kept him from spiraling into panic.They'd been running for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes. When the flame beasts had finally caught up to them in that tunnel, when death had seemed inevitable, Lyra had saved them.Lyra was the team's specialist,a rare flame wielder whose ability wasn't about generating heat or creating fire for destruction. Her flames were about illusion, about manipulation of light and percept
Chapter 164
Mira stopped her pacing mid-step and turned to face Asta fully, her expression a mixture of exasperation and impatience. Her hands went to her hips in that characteristic stance she took when she was about to call someone out on their nonsense."Quit stalling." She said, her voice sharp and direct. "Come on, let's get going. We don't have time for whatever existential crisis you're having right now. We need to move."Asta shook his head slightly, like he was physically trying to dislodge the thoughts that had been weighing him down. "Right. Yeah. Sorry."His voice was still a bit distant, but he was making an effort to be present, to focus on what was in front of him rather than what was churning around in his head. He moved toward the group, forcing his feet to carry him with purpose instead of that zombie-like autopilot he'd been functioning on.The four of them turned as a unit and headed toward the transportation area. Sitting at the edge of the courtyard, magnificent and sligh
Chapter 163
The stocky laborer continued staring at him for another few seconds, then reached out and grabbed a handful of his friend's shirt collar. "We're going to be late." He said, his voice carrying long-suffering patience as he started physically dragging the taller man down the hallway. "The next arena match is about to start, and you know how the commentator gets if we miss the opening announcements.""Hey! I can walk on my own! Let go of my,ow, okay, okay, I'm coming!"The two of them turned and headed toward the arena entrance, the tall one still protesting about the shirt-grabbing while the stocky one just kept pulling him along, their voices fading as they disappeared around the corner.Behind them, Asta continued his solitary walk through the facility corridors, completely unaware that anyone had tried to talk to him, completely absorbed in the spiral of his own thoughts.‘Would you really just sit back and watch another boy come in and take your place?’"I'm not watching." Asta
Chapter 162
Asta's footsteps echoed down the hallway, a steady rhythm that matched the churning thoughts in his head. Each step felt heavy, weighted down by words that kept replaying in his mind no matter how hard he tried to push them away.‘Your father will be turning in his grave... if you actually allow Cassian to fully take charge as the clan leader.’The words circled around and around, digging deeper with each repetition. His godfather's voice, usually so warm and supportive, had been sharp with disappointment when he'd said that. Cutting. Like he was trying to wound Asta into action, trying to shame him into claiming something Asta wasn't sure he even wanted.His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, his shoulders slightly hunched, his eyes fixed on the floor ahead of him rather than where he was actually going. People passed him in the corridor,other initiates, instructors, facility workers,but he barely registered them as anything more than moving obstacles to navigate around."What
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