I was running. Running as fast as my legs could carry me.
The city was a nightmare—buildings reduced to rubble, streets littered with corpses, and the air thick with smoke and the screams of the dying.
The guild was gone, obliterated in the chaos.
Erantel was a lost cause, and after seeing how easily Zahara had dealt with Hagan and Veradine, I knew trying to fight her was suicide.
My only option was to get out of here. Fast.
But then I heard it—a voice screaming my name. "Alex!"
I turned, my heart pounding, and saw Katherine.
She was kneeling beside a pile of rubble, her face streaked with dirt and blood as she tried to pull someone out from under the debris.
Her eyes met mine, wide and desperate. "Help me!" she screamed.
I almost groaned out loud. This was the last thing I needed.
The city was literally going up in flames, and now I had to stop and play hero?
But I couldn't just leave her. Not Katherine. She was one of the few people in this world I didn't find annoying.
"Are you stupid?" Aro's voice cut through my thoughts, his tone dripping with disdain.
"You're going to get yourself killed for some random civilians? Leave them and run, brat."
I ignored him, sprinting over to Katherine and grabbing the person she was trying to free.
It was a woman, her face pale and her leg twisted at an unnatural angle. Broken. Great. Just what I needed—a liability.
"She's hurt," Katherine said, her voice trembling. "We need to get her out of here."
I clicked my tongue in annoyance but didn't argue.
Together, we dragged the woman out of the rubble, her cries of pain grating on my nerves.
This was such a bad idea. We were wasting time, and every second we stayed here was another second closer to Zahara finding us.
And then I felt it—a chill running down my spine, a primal warning that screamed at me to move.
I didn't hesitate. Activating lightning elemental mode, I grabbed Katherine and jumped out of the way just as a massive boulder—the size of a house—crashed into the spot where we'd been standing.
The shockwave sent us flying, and we hit the ground hard, the woman we'd just saved crushed instantly under the boulder.
I raised my head, my heart pounding, and there she was.
Zahara.
She floated above us, her expression blank, her staff glowing with dark energy. My stomach churned as I looked at her.
This was the woman who had trained me, who I'd foolishly allowed myself to form a bond with. And now she was here, standing over us like a predator ready to strike.
I felt a mix of emotions—anger, betrayal, fear. But mostly, I felt helpless. There was no way I could outrun her.
She was an [SS] rank. I was just a kid with a fraction of her power. I was trapped.
"Lucas," Aro's voice cut through the chaos, his tone unusually serious. "I can save us. But you need to give me control."
I hesitated. Giving Aro control was dangerous. I didn't trust him, not after everything he'd done.
But what choice did I have? Zahara was right in front of me, and I could feel the weight of her mana pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket.
Another chill ran down my spine, and I jumped again, narrowly avoiding a wave of telekinetic force that smashed into the ground where I'd been standing.
The shockwave sent me tumbling, and I knew I was out of time.
"Fine," I muttered under my breath. "Do it."
Aro chuckled, his tone shifting to one of amusement. "Good choice, brat. Now sit back and watch the master at work."
I felt a strange sensation, like my consciousness was being pushed to the back of my mind.
My body moved on its own, my posture shifting, my expression changing. When I spoke, it wasn't my voice.
"Well, well, Zahara," Aro said, my lips curling into a smirk. "Long time no see. You've been busy, huh?"
Zahara's expression didn't change, but her eyes narrowed slightly. She raised her staff, and the air around her darkened, a sphere of darkness forming above her.
Aro laughed, a sound that sent chills down my spine. "Oh, this is going to be fun."