As they walked back, concerned voices can be heard. Lyra's hand, once warm and comforting in Zane's, now felt cold as they hurried back toward the main hub of the Sanctuary. Their peaceful interlude in the hot springs was abruptly shattered by a distant rumble of voices that grew louder with every step. As they rounded the final corner, the full extent of the chaos became clear. They emerged into the main courtyard, a large, open cavern that served as the heart of the refuge, and saw a throng of people gathered in a tight circle. A palpable tension hung in the air, a stark contrast to the usual subdued hum of life in the Sanctuary.
Pushing their way through the murmuring crowd, they found themselves at the edge of a tense standoff. In the center of the circle stood a man Zane had never seen before. He was tall and imposing, with a stern, angular face framed by a shock of dark, prematurely graying hair. His presence was commanding, a raw authority radiating from him that silenced the whispers around them.
Across from him, his body a silent shield, stood Kaelen. His expression was firm, his eyes locked with the stranger's. And behind Kaelen, her small form trembling, was Elias. She was clearly terrified, her wide eyes darting between the two men.
"She's an outsider, Kaelen. She does not belong here," the stranger's voice was a low, resonant rumble, filled with an unyielding certainty. "You of all people know how dangerous kids with uncontrollable powers are."
Kaelen stayed his ground, his stance unyielding. "Listen, Xavier, she's not a threat. She meant no harm. She's just a kid." His voice was firm, but reasoned, a desperate plea for understanding.
"She could have killed someone," Xavier retorted, taking a slow, menacing step forward. "Her powers are unstable. She could lash out at any minute. Get her out."
"No," Kaelen said, the single word a testament to his resolve.
Xavier scoffed, a look of cold fury flashing in his eyes. He started walking directly toward them. Kaelen, seeing the aggression, raised his hand and a shimmering blue forcefield instantly bloomed into existence, an ethereal wall between the two men. It pulsed with power, a silent warning.
But Xavier didn't stop. He simply balled his hand into a fist and, with a terrifying, sudden burst of speed, punched through the forcefield as if it were nothing more than a soap bubble. The barrier shattered with a deafening crackle of energy, and his fist, imbued with a shocking kinetic force, slammed directly into Kaelen's chest. Kaelen's eyes widened in pain and surprise as he was sent flying backward, his body crashing hard against the rough stone floor.
Lyra watched in utter horror, a quiet gasp escaping her lips. Her hand flew to her mouth, her purple eyes wide with disbelief as she saw Kaelen, their protector, their leader, fall so easily.
Zane's face was a mask of cold, unreadable fury. He watched Kaelen fall, his body motionless, the image of Elias's terrified face burning in his mind. He saw Xavier, without a moment of hesitation, turn his attention to the now-unprotected Elias.
Xavier lunged to grab Elias, but she, reacting on pure instinct, moved away from him with a quick, desperate shuffle, her eyes wide with fear. Xavier's irritation at her defiance was clear on his face.
Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, chains shot out from his hand, not of metal, but of a dark, obsidian-like material that seemed to solidify from the very air around him. The chains moved with unnatural speed, wrapping tightly around Elias's small form, binding her arms to her sides and her legs together.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Elias shrieked, writhing and struggling against the unyielding chains, her terrified cries echoing in the sudden silence of the crowd.
"SHUT UP!!" Xavier roared, his patience completely gone. His hand lashed out, a brutal, open-handed smack that backhanded her. Her small head snapped violently to the side, and a fine spray of blood spewed from her mouth as her cheek made contact with his palm. A single, crimson trail dripped from her lips as she was silenced, her body going limp within the chains.
In that moment, a switch flipped inside Zane. The cold fury he'd felt for Pierce was a childish tantrum compared to the pure, murderous intent that now consumed him.
Without a second thought, he rushed past the crowd with a blinding, terrifying speed. His arms, his legs, his entire body, were already encased in solid, crimson blood, the familiar armor forming instantly, its wicked points and sharp edges gleaming menacingly. Half of his face was covered in a grotesque, demonic mask, frozen in a sickening, predatory smile. The other half, left uncovered, was a blank slate of pure, unadulterated rage, his eyes glowing with an unholy crimson light.
He was a blur of motion, a crimson streak of pure, unyielding vengeance. The murmuring crowd parted before him like waves, their faces a mixture of fear and shock as the air crackled with the raw power radiating from him. All other thoughts, all other feelings, were annihilated. There was only one thing left in Zane's mind: kill Xavier.
Xavier, his back still turned, sensed the sudden surge of power behind him. He spun around, his eyes widening slightly in genuine surprise as he saw the demonic visage and the crimson-clad figure hurtling towards him. Zane didn't waste time with words or threats. His blood-forged claws, elongated and razor-sharp, lunged for Xavier's throat, aiming for an immediate, brutal end.
Xavier dodged, but Zane didn't let up. He rushed towards Xavier and rapidly punched with all his might, faster than ever. Xavier absorbed the blows but only a few times.
Zane's movements were a terrifying, fluid blur of crimson, each punch imbued with a desperate, all-consuming fury. The strikes were relentless, a machine-gun volley of bone-shattering impacts that shook the very air around them. Xavier, for all his power, was on the defensive, his kinetic abilities barely keeping pace with Zane's unbridled assault. He absorbed a few of the initial blows, the impacts barely staggering him, his body a conduit for the immense force. But Zane wasn't just throwing punches; he was a storm of raw, uncontained rage.
With a primal roar that tore from his throat, the blood mask on his face twisting into an even more monstrous expression, Zane's right hand morphed into a colossal, blood-forged sledgehammer. He swung it in a devastating arc, a blow so powerful it sent Xavier staggering backward. The crackle of energy from the impact was deafening, the force of the blow pulverizing the stone floor beneath Xavier's feet.
Xavier, surprised by the sheer, brutal power of the attack, quickly regained his footing. He met Zane's next punch with a surge of kinetic force, the two powers clashing in a brilliant flash of energy. The air was filled with the smell of ozone and the metallic tang of fresh blood.
"You're a strong one, boy," Xavier sneered, his eyes filled with a predatory glee. "But you're just a child playing with fire."
Zane didn't respond. He didn't have time for words. He was a creature of instinct now, a force of pure vengeance. The image of Elias's limp body, the smear of blood on her cheek, fueled a rage so potent it was almost tangible. He lunged again, his blood-forged claws extending, tearing through the air.
Xavier dodged the initial attack, but Zane's movements were too fast, too unpredictable. His left arm, now a razor-sharp axe-blade of hardened blood, lashed out, catching Xavier in the shoulder. A sharp gasp of pain escaped Xavier's lips as the crimson blade bit deep, a spray of dark blood arcing through the air.
The crowd gasped in shock, their murmurs of fear now replaced by stunned silence. They had never seen Kaelen's authority so easily shattered, and now they were witnessing a power so raw, so terrifying, that it made Xavier's kinetic force seem almost tame.
Xavier roared in pain and fury, a wave of pure kinetic energy exploding from him. It sent Zane flying backward, his body crashing hard against a support pillar, the stone cracking under the impact. Zane hit the ground, his body a mangled mess of hardened blood and torn flesh, but he didn't stay down. With a sickening crunch of bone and a grotesque slithering sound, his body instantly began to mend, the blood reforming and solidifying, his injuries healing with an impossible speed.
He was back on his feet in a heartbeat, his eyes glowing with an even brighter, more malevolent crimson light. He was a relentless engine of destruction, a being fueled by rage and vengeance, a creature of pure, unadulterated power.
"You should have stayed down, boy!" Xavier yelled, his voice laced with venom. He slammed his foot down on the ground, and a wave of compressed kinetic force ripped through the courtyard, sending cracks spiderwebbing across the floor.
Zane simply met the attack head-on, absorbing the impact with his blood-forged armor, his body shuddering under the immense pressure. He pushed forward, a crimson juggernaut of pure fury, closing the distance between them.
He didn't need a strategy. He didn't need a plan. He just needed to kill Xavier. He unleashed a barrage of punches, his hands morphing into different weapons with each strike: a spiked mace, a sharp spear, a flanged hammer. Xavier, bleeding from the wound in his shoulder, struggled to keep up, his kinetic shields flickering and failing under the sheer force of Zane's assault.
He dodged a final, devastating punch, but Zane's blood-forged left hand, now a whip of hardened crimson, snapped out and wrapped tightly around Xavier's arm. With a powerful tug, he pulled Xavier off balance and slammed him hard against the stone floor. Before Xavier could recover, Zane's right hand, a massive, brutal fist of blood, slammed down on his chest.
The impact was bone-shattering, a sickening crack echoing through the courtyard. Xavier's eyes widened in pain and disbelief, a gasp of pure agony escaping his lips. He was pinned, helpless, and for the first time, he felt a flicker of genuine fear. His hand form a spear aiming for Xavier's eye.