The days on the ship blurred into a haze of hunger and thirst. They fed me just enough to keep me alive, but not enough to fight back. My arms had long since gone numb from the weight of the chains. Finally, Magnus's voice cut through the fog of my mind.
"Island ahead!"
"Stop yelling, moron," Aretha snapped. "It's too early for your voice."
Circel walked onto the deck, her eyes scanning the horizon. "We know the task. Let's get it done." She walked over to me and tossed a heavy cloak at my feet. "Put this on. You aren't native here; if the locals see your clothes, they'll think you're an invader."
The chains levitated, pulling me toward her as we disembarked. Babican stayed glued to my side, his mismatched eyes darting around the strange new land. We followed a dirt path into a forest unlike any I had seen in the North. The trees were twisted and ancient, their leaves a deep, bruised purple that looked almost black in the dim light.
We passed several fortified camps before reaching a massive stone gate reinforced with black iron bars. Beyond it sat a colossal castle. Red flags snapped in the wind from every tower, and small stone homes sprawled out in every direction.
They didn't take me through the front gates. Instead, Circel and the others rushed me down a series of damp, winding stairs into the bowels of the fortress.
THE ENCOUNTER
The dungeon was cold—colder than my own ice magic. A single figure stood in the center of the room, his back to us. He wore a heavy black cloak that draped over his shoulders, and his hair reached down to the small of his back.
"Brother," Magnus said, his voice uncharacteristically respectful. "We have the boy. And the blood."
"Good," a voice replied. It was calm, melodic, and yet it carried a volume that seemed to vibrate in my chest. "Now we can begin."
The man turned around. He had a thick beard and piercing green eyes, though one of them was permanently scarred across the iris. He studied me for a long moment.
"So, you are Zero's child," he murmured. "You look just like him."
He tilted his head, and the chains binding my wrists simply dissolved. I didn't move. I knew he could absorb abilities, but I didn't see a weapon or a mirror anywhere.
"Aren't you going to attack me?" Dalten asked, noticing my gaze lingering on his forehead. "Ah. So you've heard the stories."
He looked down at Babican. "Is that your dog?"
Before I could respond, Dalten opened his palms. An invisible force seized Babican, pulling the spectral dog toward him. Dalten drew a knife and held it to Babican's throat. "Fight me, or he dies."
I forced a smile, though my heart was hammering. "You can't kill what's already dead."
Dalten's scarred eye narrowed. "True. But I can absorb him."
A shimmering hand-mirror appeared in his grip. With a flick of his wrist, a vacuum of energy erupted from the glass. Babican didn't even have time to bark before he was sucked into the mirror's surface, vanishing into the silver depths.
"There," Dalten said. "He's gone. He had a surprising amount of power, but I still need more."
THE SACRIFICE
I was terrified, but the rage was winning. I wanted to tear him apart. My power began to flow, purple sparks dancing across my skin.
"Yes," Dalten whispered. "Finally."
He took the vial of my blood and splashed it across the mirror. The glass absorbed the liquid instantly, glowing with a sickly light. I leaped back, trying to cut off the flow of energy.
"Stop resisting," he commanded. "It's hopeless."
I summoned the Blade of Fury. My eyes snapped open, fully active. "I'm going to kill you."
THE FIGHT
I moved with everything I had left. I focused on my footwork, keeping my distance so he couldn't touch me or the blade. I swung, and Dalten blocked the strike with his bare forearm, the metal of my sword clashing against his skin as if it were stone.
"Magnus, Aretha, Circel—get out," Dalten ordered.
He raised his hand and channeled the fire element, creating a massive flame tornado that filled the dungeon. I swung my sword, using a burst of air to dissipate the heat, and pressed the attack. Dalten was fast, evading my strikes with a fluid, terrifying grace. He caught an opening and slammed his palm into my forehead, sending me crashing into the stone wall.
THE ESCAPE
I was running out of time. I had to use my eyes to open a rift, but I needed to get far enough away that he couldn't absorb the portal itself. I jumped back, hurled the Blade of Fury at his chest as a distraction, and focused both eyes on a single point in space.
The rift began to tear open, but it was too small. I was too weak.
Dalten lunged for me. "No, you don't!"
I didn't think. I just reacted. "Consume!"
The energy I pulled from him wasn't ice or fire—it was raw life force. Dalten stumbled, his face turning pale as fatigue hit him like a physical blow. He dropped to his knees.
I funneled that stolen energy into the rift. It expanded, showing a glimpse of the green fields of the North. I tried to leap through, but Dalten's hand shot out and gripped my ankle.
I activated my armor's aura one last time, the purple lightning exploding from my skin. I kicked him squarely in the face, breaking his grip, and dove into the void.
HOME
I hit the grass of the farmhouse field and rolled, my lungs burning. I started hyperventilating; that last move had cost me more than any training session ever had.
I tried to crawl toward the doorstep. I reached out to a nearby plant, trying to use Consume just to get enough energy to stand, but nothing happened. I scratched at the wooden door until my fingers bled.
Finally, I found the strength to turn the handle. I fell into the living room, collapsing onto the floor.
"Oh my god—Noah!"
Aubrey and Karr were there in an instant, pulling me up.
"Where were you?" Karr shouted, his voice thick with worry.
They told me my mother had gone looking for me with my father's friends. Flora was safe with Aubrey's family. I lay there for a long time, my head spinning, before I could tell them what had happened over the last two weeks.
"So this man... he tried to take your power?" Aubrey asked, her eyes wide.
I started to answer, but suddenly, a violent wave of nausea hit me. I leaned over and threw up—not food, but a thick, dark pool of blood. Aubrey screamed. Karr patted my back, his hands shaking.
"I don't feel right," I whispered. "Something is wrong."
I tried to activate my eyes. Nothing. I tried to summon my armor. Nothing. I tried to manifest a shard of ice.
Nothing.
I thought back to the moment Dalten grabbed my leg. I felt the memory of the energy being ripped out of me. He hadn't just absorbed my attack. He had absorbed me.
I looked at my friends, my vision blurring.
"I think I'm completely powerless."