A bitter terror flared, mingled with the acridity of hatred.
Its corrupted and distorted essence poured into him, a vile stream that both repelled and enticed. The rush was intoxicating and overwhelming, filling the hollow places inside him with dark, potent energy.
His heart pounded, each beat reverberating through his chest as if it might burst from the sheer strain of the power coursing through him.
The air was denser as if the atmosphere was bending to the pressure of his will.
Yet, amid the exhilaration, there was a gnawing chill, a creeping sense of utter loss and despair.
As he drained its essence, its resistance faltered, its life force dwindling into a feeble whisper before it was silenced altogether.
With a final shuddering breath, he let go, his body trembling from the aftershock.
His mind buzzed, thoughts racing in a chaotic dance, intoxicated by the power he’d seized.
And still, beneath the rush, a flicker of unease took root, whispering that some things, once ripped away, could never be returned.
He came to his senses, for the encounter had only transpired in seconds.
Around him, the fight raged, but the Signet and Sauvage warriors’ training and coordination proved superior.
Within moments, the station was secured, and a quartet ofsachem,still alive, lay immobilized, trapped in glowing restraints.
In the chaos, one figure emerged from the shadows at the back: a small, unassuming, mousy-haired man with wiry limbs and a nervous, darting gaze.
He wore a tattered coat, and his hands twitched at his sides.
‘Hello,’ he murmured, shoulders bowed, attempting to make himself appear slight and insignificant.
Yet his eyes darted across the room, brimming with cunning malice.
Mak at once sensed an unusual amount of power emanating from him.
‘Drop the act, stranger. You’re more than you seem.’
He turned his dead eyes to Mak. ‘Ah, theŠarhimself, a venator and hunter of souls.’
‘Fokkprecious! You and your companions are an audacity of gargoyles and a caper of mutants who invaded my wedding and assaulted my guests. You don’t deserve to walk free.’
‘Says who?’
Kaal stepped forward, his weapon leveled. ‘All of us, controller. Surrender.’
The man chuckled, a soft, eerie sound that chilled the room. ‘Me? Never.’
His eyes began to glow as he spoke, his voice deepening into a guttural snarl.
His body convulsed, and in a flash, he transformed.
Twisted wings of pure power erupted from his back, and his slight frame grew grotesque, his limbs elongating unnaturally.
The man, now asachemhimself, let out a bone-rattling scream before launching into the air.
Laser bolts rained down from his claws, forcing their men, including Mak, to scatter.
Mak narrowly dodged a blast that obliterated a wall section behind him.
‘Take him down!’ he barked, raising his wrist shield and rising to face off with the controller.
