Chapter 80 trust him
The man’s smirk deepened, but his golden eyes remained eerily calm, as if he’d expected that answer. “I don’t need you to hand her over,” he said smoothly. “She’ll come to me when the time is right.”
I tightened my grip on the unconscious woman, a protective instinct flaring up inside me. “That’s not happening.”
He tilted his head, studying me like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve. “You don’t even know what she is, do you?”
Lena’s grip on her dagger tightened. “We’re done playing games. Either you start talking, or we walk away.”
The man chuckled, taking another slow step forward, the moonlight casting sharp shadows across his face. “Oh, you can walk away, sure. But you won’t get far. Not with them coming.”
A chill ran down my spine. Them.
As if summoned by his words, the air around us shifted. The unnatural stillness of the forest broke with a sudden, eerie rustling. Shadows moved between the trees, taking shape—figures emerging from the darkness, their movements unnatural, their presence radiating a wrongness that made my fire surge in warning.
Lena muttered a curse under her breath. Logan’s stance turned rigid, weapon raised.
The man in front of us didn’t even flinch. “Told you,” he said almost lazily. “You’re not the only ones looking for her.”
I could barely process what was happening. The figures creeping closer weren’t normal. Their eyes glowed faintly, their limbs too elongated, their movements too fluid. Something about them felt… corrupted.
The fire inside me roared, demanding release.
The man watched me closely, his gaze knowing. “Time to make a choice, Elias,” he said, voice smooth but urgent. “Are you going to run? Or are you going to wake up?”
Wake up?
A wave of heat surged through me, my vision blurring for a moment. The fire inside me pulsed, alive, waiting for something. And deep in my gut, I realized—this wasn’t just about saving the woman in my arms.
This was about me. About the fire. About what I was becoming.
Lena’s voice cut through the tension. “Elias, whatever you’re doing, do it fast.”
The figures lunged.
And the fire inside me erupted.
Flames burst from my core, searing through my veins like liquid lightning. It wasn’t just heat—it was power, raw and unrelenting, spilling out of me in waves. The moment it touched the air, the shadows recoiled, their eerie forms twisting as if in agony.
The golden-eyed man took a deliberate step back, watching me with sharp, intrigued eyes. “There it is,” he murmured. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
I barely heard him. My body was no longer entirely my own—something ancient, something primal had awakened inside me. The fire wasn’t just reacting to the threat. It recognized it.
Lena and Logan had already moved into position, weapons drawn, ready to fight. But I could tell—even they weren’t sure if I was still on their side.
The creatures, those twisted, corrupted things, hesitated for only a moment before surging forward again. Whatever humanity they once had was gone, their snarls guttural, their hunger unmistakable.
I didn’t think. I just moved.
With a flick of my wrist, fire leapt from my palm, slamming into the nearest creature. It screamed—a sound that was not human, nor entirely animal—before it crumbled to ash.
The others hesitated now, their glowing eyes flicking toward their fallen companion. But hesitation wasn’t enough to stop them.
More lunged.
Logan fired, his bullets hitting their marks, but it barely slowed them. Lena moved like lightning, her dagger slicing through shadowed flesh, but even as she cut them down, more took their place.
I felt the fire inside me pulse again, instinct guiding my movements. I raised my hand and let the flames unleash.
Heat exploded outward, engulfing the clearing in a swirling inferno. The creatures shrieked, writhing as the fire consumed them, their forms dissolving into nothing.
And then—just as suddenly as it had started—it was over.
Silence.
Smoke curled through the air, the scent of charred earth heavy in my lungs. The shadows were gone. Only their absence remained, a heavy emptiness pressing against my chest.
I staggered, the fire inside me settling, though it still simmered beneath my skin. I was breathing hard, my hands still shaking.
Lena was staring at me like she’d never seen me before. Logan had his weapon lowered but didn’t look any more at ease.
And the golden-eyed man…
He was smiling.
“Now that,” he said, voice low and pleased, “was impressive.”
I turned to him, heart still racing. “Who the hell are you?”
His gaze met mine, and for the first time, I saw something beneath the arrogance—recognition. Like he had been waiting for this moment.
“My name,” he said, stepping closer, “is Dorian. And whether you like it or not, Elias… you and I? We’re connected.”
A cold sense of inevitability settled over me.
This wasn’t over.
It was just beginning.
I clenched my fists, trying to steady my breathing, but the fire inside me still burned hot, simmering beneath my skin. Dorian’s words twisted through my thoughts like smoke, impossible to grasp but too significant to ignore.
We’re connected.
I didn’t want that to be true. I didn’t even know what it meant. But deep inside, something in me—something old and instinctive—recognized him.
Lena stepped forward, her dagger still tight in her grip. “I don’t care who you are,” she said, voice sharp. “Start explaining. Now.”
Dorian sighed, as if we were being difficult. “It’s complicated.”
Logan scoffed. “Then simplify it.”
Dorian tilted his head, studying me. “Alright. I’ll give you this much—you’re changing, Elias. That fire inside you? It’s not just power. It’s something else. And if you don’t learn how to control it, it will consume you.”
My pulse pounded in my ears. I didn’t need him to tell me that. I could feel it already. Every time I used the fire, it left something behind—something heavy, something dangerous.
Lena’s eyes flicked to me, her worry barely hidden beneath her usual steel. “Is that true?”
I swallowed hard, not trusting myself to answer.
Dorian smiled, but there was something unreadable in his expression. “You’re not the only one who felt it, are you?” His gaze flicked to the unconscious woman in my arms. “She’s connected to it too. To you. And trust me, you’re going to want to know why.”
A sharp gust of wind rushed through the clearing, carrying the scent of ash and earth. The air had shifted. The forest, once thick with unnatural stillness, now felt watchful.
Lena didn’t lower her dagger. “You’re saying she has something to do with… whatever’s happening to Elias?”
Dorian gave a slow nod. “Oh, she’s more than just some lost soul in the woods. She’s a key.” His golden eyes gleamed. “And the ones who were hunting her? They’re just the beginning.”
A weight settled in my chest. I looked down at the woman in my arms, her face pale, her breathing shallow. Who was she?
Logan crossed his arms, jaw tight. “And let me guess. You have all the answers?”
Dorian chuckled. “Not all of them. But I do know where you’ll find them.” His gaze flicked toward the darkness beyond the trees. “You’re not going to like it, though.”
Lena and Logan exchanged a look, but I didn’t hesitate.
“Tell me,” I said, my voice steady.
Dorian grinned. “There’s a place. A sanctuary… or a prison, depending on how you see it.” He took a step closer, lowering his voice. “It’s where people like you wake up—where the fire inside you was meant to be understood.”
My fingers curled tighter around the woman’s fragile form. Every instinct screamed that I shouldn’t trust him. But something deeper—something I couldn’t name—whispered that I couldn’t ignore him either.