Chapter 140
- Evan -
We didn't get far before the back door slammed open—Duke and Baby stumbled in, their clothes streaked with mud. Duke's eyes were wide, chest heaving as if he'd run all the way here.
"We saw it," he said, grabbing the wall for balance. "Josh's fire—it tore up through the treeline like a flare, then vanished."
Baby nodded, shaking her head in disbelief. "He fought whoever took him. We saw the blast of his divine flame light up the east sector. Then nothing. It was like the fire got...swallowed."
Micah's face went pale. "You didn't see who it was?"
"No," Baby said grimly. "Too dark and too far away; whatever pulled him—it hid its presence well, felt like the air itself turned inside out."
James swore under his breath. "That voice wasn't bluffing."
Micah straightened, forcing her breathing to steady. "We don't have time to waste. Uncle is already starting to move everyone—the shelter kids and orphans—to his bunker under the bakery. It's safer there; the building is reinforced.
Duke cleared his throat. "I will stay back to seal the entrance to protect the kids and your family, Micah. Baby, your uncle and I have this covered."
"Wait—Uncle has an underground bunker to his bakery?
Duke nodded. "You've been in there how many times, and you didn't notice? I taught you better. As you know, he bought the shop years ago, before his daughter passed away. There's an old cold-storage cellar—solid concrete. He turned it into a supply vault in case of emergencies. It's our safest fallback now."
Baby crossed her arms. "You three need to focus on our friends who were taken. Becky alone may not last more than 24 hours without the vent, if we are lucky. And Kaysi is not in any better condition. We'll guard the civilians and kids. But listen—" She fixed me with a stare that could've burned steel—"Get them back and get out. We can't afford to lose anyone else. Lie low, creep, and don't get cornered. You three watch each other's backs. Engage only if absolutely necessary. Capiche?"
I met her eyes and nodded. "We'll bring them home."
We followed the coordinates scrawled on the back of the note. There was no other way into the underground tunnels—just straight through.
Micah turned away, gripping her arms tightly. Her tone was sharp but cracking underneath. "This isn't a rescue anymore—it's a trap, and you know it.
"Maybe." I said, "But if we don't walk in, we'll never find where it leads."
James slung his crossbow across his back. "No one's going in alone. We fight smart, not heroically. If we don't finish this now, Kaysi, Josh, and Becky may all die."
Micah's glare cut toward me. "You always act like you have the answer when things get serious, and yet you charge ahead, no matter the risk—"
"And you always want to wait until it's too late! I snapped back before I could stop myself. " They don't have time, Micah!
We reached the back of the tunnel—a vast pit like the arena from the abyss came into view. The sight made my stomach drop.
"Evan!" Micah stepped closer, her voice trembling between anger and desperation. "You think you're the only one who cares? You think you're the only one willing to run into hell for them? We barely know our powers, much less control them! What advantage do you think the three of us have if we don't play this smart? You're supposed to be our leader!"
"Maybe I don't know how to lead," I growled.
The tension between us was electric. I wanted to let it go—but couldn't.
"I'll use whatever means to save them!"
"Use what means?" she barked with a bitter laugh. "You know we may have to sacrifice one of them—or one of us—to get out? You have no plan! You're stubborn and egotistical, and you don't even understand your own gifts. Yet you lead us down a broken road!"
We walked into the lion's mouth. It was an arena—too quiet.
Becky, Kaysi, and Josh lay in chambers, asleep like collectors' pieces on a shelf.
The air shifted. Demons swarmed from the shadows—hundreds, maybe. With our whole team, we could fight them, but the three of us—unlikely.
A familiar voice echoed from the darkness. "Ah… you came to see my collection. Yet you brought me no gifts—the children. Never mind, that was only a bonus; I was never really after it. These are my main prizes. Marvelous, isn't it? The boy of rebirth—a toy crafted by the Master. The girl who freezes everything, even time itself. And my favorite—the Makeshift Waymaker. The test tube child. I've had my eye on her since the first time she stepped into the abyss."
"First!?" Micah turned to me, fury and confusion flaring. "You and your brother carry more secrets than the abyss itself. You say you'd die for her, but you can't even face her truth."
"Micah, I don't think this is the place to have this conversation right now." James tried to reason with her.
We all stood back-to-back, ready to fight the demons that surrounded us—but I felt I had my back turned to the wrong people sometimes.
"First!?" Micah turned to me, fury and confusion flaring. "You and your brother carry more secrets than the abyss itself. You say you'd die for her, but you can't even face her truth."
James fired two bolts into a demon's eyes. "If this is our last fight, then fine—let's say it. Evan, you always looked down on me, but you taught me to be bold, to take chances. Kaysi deserves to know the truth you're hiding. We all know since the elder warning at Keetowah—you hold her missing pieces."
"Your brother has made many improvements and keeps growing, yet as our leader, you fall to the back of the pack more and more. You say you'd die for her, yet you can't even stand beside her. If you did, we would be here. Each one of us together can hold each other up. But much like the demons, you have cut us down and out one by one!"
Micah's words hit deeper than any blade. I wasn't the only one seeing my friends as enemies this whole time. Micah said I was a monster, too.
James's voice softened, but it still stung. "This isn't an attack. You told me to be a man—to take risks. But now you guard yourself like a coward. Micah's barely scratched because I protected her. You can't protect anyone like this now. You have grown more distant from her than ever."
A flashback hit—Kaysi in my arms, fading.
"Don't let me lose myself," she begged before her lights faded from her eyes.
A demon shoulders me in the jaw as pain rages in every vein of my body. I felt my throat hot and my mind racing.
"Damn it!" I roared. "You want me to start? Let's go? Fine—I'll start now!"
An opening appeared between us and Kaysi. If I could just reach her—one person saved—maybe she could help us survive. I knew it would drain her, maybe kill her. But it was better than letting her die helplessly.
I plowed through demons, slamming bodies aside. Just as I reached her, one collided with me—and my hand caught her charm bracelet instead.
It tore loose.
A violet light exploded outward, knocking out almost every demon in the chamber. I hit the ground hard, the breath punched from my lungs.
I winced, then my vision cleared—
Kaysi's sword was in my hand.
Micah and James stared in shock.
"Only the chosen Waymaker can call their weapon," James whispered.
"Then why," Micah said slowly, "does Evan have Kaysi's sword?"