I looked down at the Reaper’s writhing form. The dark shapes beneath its translucent skin were moving faster now, concentrating in its chest and head. Protecting vital areas.

Belle was right. Those weren’t veins or arteries. They were parasites. Or maybe the real creature itself, using this humanoid form as a shell.

I changed tactics, pressed my palm flat over its chest where the movement concentrated most. The creatures inside roiled against my hand, writhing beneath that translucent skin as if they could sense what was building.

Wave Motion energy gathered there against the Reaper’s breastbone, more concentrated than anything I’d attempted before. Not a projectile meant to escape. An internal detonation.

The Reaper’s spine arched violently. It thrashed harder than before, nearly bucking me sideways off its torso. Its limbs twisted at angles that would snap human joints.

"Hold it!" I yelled.

Jordan’s face had gone white. Sweat ran down his temples and dripped from his jaw. His shadows flickered, the edges wavering like heat distortion. "I’m trying! But you better fucking hurry because I can’t—"

The shadow net buckled for half a second before Jordan clenched his teeth and forced it back into shape.

I focused everything I had into my palm. The Wave Motion energy built to a blinding intensity, golden light spilling between my fingers.

The Reaper’s chest began to crack beneath my hand. Fissures spread across its pale skin, black ichor seeping through.

"Now, Jace!" Misato called.

I released everything.

The blast didn’t exit from my palm—it exploded outward from the Reaper’s chest in all directions. Golden energy tore through its body from the inside out, shredding through parasite and host alike. The creature’s back arched in a silent scream, its limbs going rigid.

Then it collapsed, body splitting apart like overcooked meat. The worm-like parasites writhed briefly before the Wave Motion energy disintegrated them too.

When the light faded, all that remained was a scorched outline on the chamber floor and a single glowing core floating where the creature’s heart would have been.

I slumped forward, Wave Motion energy dissipating. My entire body felt like it had been wrung out and hung to dry. Every muscle ached. Every breath burned.

[OVERCLOCK DEACTIVATED]

[WAVE MOTION: GOLD → BRONZE]

[COOLDOWN ACTIVE: 6:00:00]

Jordan’s shadows retreated, and he collapsed against the chamber wall. "Never... again... that was... bullshit..."

Belle approached cautiously, knife still in hand. She nudged the core with her boot. "Silver-tier. High quality. Worth about five thousand credits."

"Split five ways?" I asked, voice raspy.

"Oh look, he can do math." She grinned despite her exhaustion. "Yes, genius. A thousand each." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Misato walked over and helped me to my feet. "What was that? That power boost."

"Emergency ability," I said. The lie came easy, practiced. "Limited duration, high cost. Can’t use it again for hours."

Misato accepted that without question, which made sense. Most hunters had trump cards they didn’t advertise. "Effective timing. You read the situation well."

Across the chamber, Naomi sat slumped against the wall, cradling her injured arm. When our eyes met, something passed between us. Recognition, maybe. Understanding. She’d felt the extraction working inside me during the fight, had known exactly where that sudden power surge came from.

I crossed the distance and knelt beside her. Her face was pale, streaked with dust and sweat. "The arm?"

"Compound fracture, I think." She tried for a brave smile and only managed a grimace. "But the academy’s healers are good. They’ll have it reset and regenerated before dinner."

"I’m sorry," I said quietly. "I should have been faster."

"Shut up." She leaned her head against my shoulder. "You were magnificent."

"All I did was drink your—"

"I know what you did." Her uninjured hand found mine. "And it was still magnificent."

Misato checked her watch. "We need to move. Gate destabilization in fifteen minutes."

Belle had already collected the core and was scanning the chamber for additional loot. "There’s another crystal deposit here. Jordan, think you can break it free with your shadows?"

"Maybe if someone carries me over there." He hadn’t moved from his slumped position. "My legs don’t work anymore."

I helped Naomi to her feet, supporting her weight as she stood. "Can you walk?"

"I broke my arm, not my leg." But she didn’t pull away from my support.

As we prepared to leave, I glanced back at the scorched outline on the chamber floor. The Reaper had been terrifying, yes. But what bothered me more was the fact that it had been intelligent. Tactical. It had identified our weaknesses and exploited them methodically.

Just like a person would.

"Hey." I nudged Misato. "That thing. Was it... conscious? Self-aware?"

She looked at me strangely. "Does it matter? It was trying to kill us."

"I guess not." But something about the question lingered.

We made our way back through the tunnels, Jordan using his shadows to collapse sections behind us to prevent anything else from following. Belle and Misato took point, while I stayed with Naomi, supporting her when the pain made her steps falter.

"So," she said quietly as we walked, "my chilled milk tastes like what exactly?"

I felt my face heat up. "Um. It’s... sweet. Rich. Kind of like condensed milk but with something else. Something that’s just... you."

She laughed softly, then winced as the movement jostled her arm. "That’s both flattering and weird."

"Welcome to my entire existence."

"Next time," she said, her voice dropping lower, "drink it fresh. It’s better that way."

Now I definitely stumbled. "Are you serious?"

"Very." She gave me a sideways glance. "Besides, it looked like you enjoyed it. The power rush."

"The power was nice," I admitted. "The taste was better."

"Good answer." She leaned against me a little more than strictly necessary.

We reached the gate entry point with five minutes to spare. The shimmering tear in reality pulsed with unstable energy, indicating the imminent collapse.

"Everyone through!" Misato ordered. "Jordan first since he’s barely conscious."

"I can hear you," he mumbled as Belle helped him to the gate.

"I know. I said it loud for a reason."

One by one, we stepped back through the gate into the normal world. The sunlight was blinding after hours in the cavern’s blue glow. Academy staff waited on the other side, medical personnel immediately moving to assist Naomi.

As they took her away, she caught my eye and mouthed two words: "Thank you."