The tower shuddered violently, groaning like a wounded beast. Chunks of reinforced concrete and twisted spirit-metal rained down from the ceiling as secondary explosions ripped through the lower levels. Ryker staggered to his feet, pulling Lira tight against his chest. The Code inside him was in chaos fracturing, burning, retreating into deeper recesses of his body. Every fracture across his skin pulsed with erratic cyan light, sending waves of pain and power through his nerves.
“We have to move!” Lira shouted over the roar of collapsing architecture. Her voice was hoarse but steady, one arm wrapped around his waist for support even as blood trickled from a cut on her forehead.
Ryker nodded, claws retracted but ready. His body felt heavier, the mutations unstable after the final purge su
