Chaos. Pure, blinding chaos.
The rooftop dissolved into a storm of glowing lines and shadows. Broken threads whipped through the air like wild serpents, lashing out blindly. Every snap sent a fresh jolt through Arielle's chest, the hum building into a near-deafening roar.
Selene pulled her down behind a rusted air vent just as a stray thread sliced through the metal like paper. "Stay down!" they barked, eyes flicking as their needle darted through the air, weaving and severing with equal precision.
Arielle's fingers dug into the concrete. "I can't— It's too loud, Selene, I can't shut it out!"
The resonance in her chest was spiraling out of control. Every broken bond was bleeding into her, flooding her senses with disjointed flashes — a couple mid-argument, a child laughing, a man screaming in silence as his thread dissolved. The emotions tangled until she couldn't breathe.
Take them, the whisper hissed, no longer coaxing but commanding. Pull them in. Bind them to yourself before they vanish. Why save them for others when you could keep them?
Her vision blurred. The threads above her glowed brighter, bending toward her hand like moths to a flame. She felt the pulse of each one, like tiny heartbeats, begging to be anchored.
And for one terrifying moment… she wanted to.
Selene's hand closed over hers, grounding her. Their voice cut through the chaos, low but steady. "Arielle. Look at me. Breathe. Don't take. Don't lose yourself to him."
Arielle met their gaze, her breathing ragged. Selene's silver eyes glowed faintly, threads bending subtly toward them instead. Slowly, the resonance in Arielle's chest began to steady, though the hum remained sharp and painful.
Draven, standing amidst the chaos as if it didn't touch him, tilted his head, amused. "Interesting. She can hear the bonds screaming and still refuses them. You're training her well, Selene… though I wonder how long before she realizes you hum louder than the tether itself."
Selene didn't answer. They yanked Arielle to her feet and backed toward the rooftop's edge. "We're leaving. Now."
Draven didn't follow. He just watched, smiling faintly, as the tether above flickered ominously like a storm waiting to break.