The air in the Haven hallway suddenly turned ice cold. Kova stood still. His hand was outstretched as he focused his will on the space in front of him.
A thin line of obsidian light appeared. It tore open like a wound. From the center of that darkness, a presence poured out. it felt like a physical weight against the stone floor.
Koma stepped out of the Void.
He didn't walk so much as he emerged. His feet hit the ground with a thud that vibrated through the entire mountain. He stretched his arms wide. A slow, predatory grin spread across his face as he took his first breath of mountain air. Even with his Yen suppressed, the sheer intensity of his existence made the torches along the walls flicker and die.
"It feels small out here," Koma remarked. He looked at the jagged stone walls and the distant patch of sky.
Kova didn't respond. He turned his head toward the lower levels. His voice projected with calm authority.
"Kaola. Meet us at the Roundtable. Now!"
In her room, Kaola froze. The sound of Kova's voice usually brought order, but there was an underlying tension now that made her skin crawl. She didn't know Koma was out, but the pressure in the atmosphere had shifted. It felt like a storm was trapped inside the mountain with her.
She hurried out. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She navigated the stone stairs. Her boots clicked rapidly as she descended. As she reached the Great Hall, she saw the massive stone doors to the Roundtable room were already open.
The Roundtable was a gargantuan slab of black granite. It was polished until it shone like a dark mirror. It sat in a chamber where natural waterfalls trickled down the walls into deep basins. When Kaola stepped into the room, she stopped dead.
Kova stood by the head of the table. His expression was as unreadable as ever. Koma stood near the far edge of the slab, leaning against a heavy stone pillar. He watched the doorway with a hungry look in his eyes.
"There she is," Koma said. His grin widened as he straightened up. "Look at you. You look like you have seen a ghost. Or maybe you just realized what happens to people who come home without what they were sent for.
"Kaola felt her knees weaken. Kova had warned her that Koma wanted her dead. Now here he was, looming in the center of their world. She moved like a ghost. Her hands trembled as she pulled out the heavy stone chair directly across from her brother. She didn't dare look him in the eye. She could feel his gaze burning into the top of her head.
"Sit, Kaola," Kova commanded quietly. "We have things to discuss. You have returned with nothing but excuses for your incompetence. Your silence will not help you here."
"I am sitting," Kaola whispered. Her voice was barely audible over the waterfalls.
"You were given a simple order," Koma said. His voice dropped to a dangerous level as he stepped toward the table. "Go get the boy. Bring him back alive. That was the main objective. Instead, you failed. You were told to come home because you could not handle a mission and you could not handle the twins. You are a failure, Kaola. Now you have to look me in the eye while I decide what to do with a sister who is no longer useful."
Miles away, the settlement was draped in a suffocating silence. Kota suddenly stopped. His body trembled. Silver energy flickered around his skin like dying embers. He stared at the row of broken stone houses. His eyes narrowed.
Leiya stopped beside him. She looked around the empty street with wide, confused eyes. She strained her ears but heard nothing but the wind. She reached out to touch his arm.
"Kota, why are we stopping?" Leiya asked. "I do not feel anyone approaching. There is nothing there."
"Quiet, girl," Kota snapped. His voice was raspy and strained. He didn't turn. His focus was entirely on the rooftops. "He is here. I can feel the air cracking. It is too late to run."
The silence was shattered by the sound of tiles cracking. From the roof of a nearby building, Hykee plummeted downward. He landed with a heavy thud that sent a cloud of dust swirling. He straightened up slowly. His eyes were bloodshot with adrenaline. He ignored Leiya. His gaze was locked onto the boy.
"Finally," Hykee hissed. A jagged laugh escaped his lips. "I thought you would never stop running. You look like you are already halfway to the grave, Kota. Why not let me push you the rest of the way? I've been tracking that stench of yours for miles. I am starving for a decent show."
Leiya gasped, stumbling back as the rest of the hunters emerged. Lokee walked into the center of the street. Kana and Juno followed close behind.
"Hykee, stay back," Lokee's voice rang out. She stepped forward. Her eyes scanned the area. She could feel the poison in the air. The Yen was dissolving the oxygen around them. "Control yourself for once. We have a directive."
"The boy is not a prize for you to break, Hykee," Lokee warned. Her voice was tight with caution. "Koma and Kova want him alive. If you kill him because you cannot control your urges, you will be the one answering for it. Do not ignore the mission for a thrill. He is unstable."
Hykee didn't even look at her. He took a slow step toward Kota. His fingers twitched with anticipation. His energy was a jagged spike in the quiet. He stopped a few feet away. His head cocked to the side.
"Come on then," Hykee taunted. His voice dripped with malice. "Make a move. I want to see if you are actually strong or if you are just a loud infection. Move first, boy. Show me something that makes this worth my time."
Kota looked up. His eyes glowed with a faint, sickly silver light. He knew he was outnumbered and outmatched, but the sickness inside him was screaming for release. He took a step forward. The stone street beneath his feet cracked from the sheer pressure of his leaking energy.
The two stared each other down. The air between them vibrated with violent tension. Hykee watched Kota's every movement. A wide grin split his face as he gauged the boy's power. He was waiting for the first strike.
"Let it leak!" Hykee shouted. His energy spiked as he braced himself. "I want to see what the dark looks like when it bleeds! Come on, boy! Show me that power everyone is so afraid of!"