Chapter 50.2
“Damn it, a dragon too? There must be more of them than we thought.”
A distant glimmer, momentarily breathtaking, rapidly expanded. The growing ice blossom descended directly above them, exploding into thousands of diamond-shaped shards that rained down with terrifying speed. Ahab swiftly raised a large shield, protecting himself and his fallen sister.
Then…
“Huh…” Ahab gaped.
“…An eagle…?”
Massive, black wings unfurled, eclipsing the sky. Spread protectively over the woman, they shielded her from the icy onslaught. Where the wings didn’t reach, the ice shards slammed into the ground with a deafening roar, like a volley of a thousand knives. Ahab’s ears rang, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
The sight of the wind-tossed, black feathers was utterly captivating. A mixture of terror and awe, reserved for the truly colossal, filled him. Unlike Shade’s skeletal behemoth, these dynamic, poisonous feathers were exquisitely beautiful. If not for the subtle ripple and flow, he wouldn’t have recognized their toxic nature.
Grey smoke curled from the black wings as they absorbed the icy barrage, melting the shards and greedily consuming them. Ahab wasn’t the only one mesmerized by this grand display of venomous artistry.
Adeline, eyes wide, also watched the wings that now canopied the scene.
This is it. Ahab’s thieving instincts screamed. The only chance. This time, his target wasn’t a face or a skill, but his own sister. While Adeline was distracted, he ripped open a fresh scroll.
When Adeline looked back, they were gone, vanished without a trace.
She didn’t waste time kicking at the rubble in frustration. Instead, she cooled her mind, assessing the situation. Too many pursuers. The factory district, now a charred wasteland thanks to the dragon, was too dangerous. She couldn’t afford a pointless fight without knowing the enemy’s numbers or abilities.
The ice shards continued to fall, each one a deadly projectile. Retreat was the only option. Adeline retrieved Rune’s body and, as if on a mission in the Labyrinth, suggested they withdraw.
“There’s nothing more to gain here. We need to leave.”
But she’d overlooked one crucial difference.
“…Damian?”
This wasn’t the Labyrinth.
Not the place. Not the time.
“I’m hungry.”
And not the people.
Damian, one hand covering his face, whispered in a voice so low it sounded demonic. The whisper devolved into a chilling, rasping, metallic sound. A shiver ran down Adeline’s spine. She backed away, a primal instinct to flee from danger.
He was no longer looking at her, muttering incomprehensible words. A wide, manic grin stretched across his exposed lips. She was grateful the hand still covered the upper half of his face. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eye.
Her retreating foot struck something. A crumpled texture, unlike the hard rubble. Looking down, she saw a scroll, imprinted with the mark of her boot—the one Ahab had dropped. A single, desperate plan flashed through her mind.
I have to get out of here.
Without hesitation, Adeline snatched the scroll and lunged. Her target: Damian, his hand now lowering.
Before he could react, she tackled him, rolling them both across the ground.
For a fleeting second, a flash of lightning split the air, distorting space. The world plunged into an inky blackness, like the depths of the ocean. Scattered pinpricks of light pierced the imperfect darkness. They tumbled head over heels, locked in an embrace.
They were lucky. Ahab’s discarded scroll was a companion scroll. Had Rune been alive, she might have transported with him instead. The fact that Rune was now a corpse, an object rather than a living being, allowed them all to travel together.
Two entered District 10, two emerged. A grim calculation made amidst the chaotic tumble across the uneven ground. Somewhere along the way, she lost Rune’s body.
As their momentum died, Adeline pushed herself up, checking the man beneath her. His arm, which had protectively held her throughout their rough landing, slowly slid to the ground.
“….”
Her gaze locked with his. Unblinking, wide open, fixed on her. In the dim light, only the captivating gold of his pupils was clear. The eyes of a demon, dragging greedy souls to hell.
An icy dread washed over her. He was not the man she knew. Unintelligible words continued to spill from his lips.
“Mulier, … sociam mihi, … mihi de … et comedi.”
The low whisper broke and resumed, fragmented and unsettling. Adeline struggled to speak.
“Demi…”
Crack!
His limp hand shot up, seizing her throat in a vise-like grip. This was different from the beach. An irresistible force. He intended to kill her. As Adeline’s head tilted back, his eyes, locked on hers, filled with a chilling rapture. He smiled.
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