"We have to kill Marius - right now," Cassius said, his voice hardening as he snatched up the void-absorbing dagger. "Before he fully transitions."
Another blast rocked the building. The underground arena erupted in chaos as fighters and spectators scrambled toward the exits. Golden energy crackled across the ceiling, intertwining with tendrils of shadow that seemed to consume everything they touched.
"That's still our father," Atlas objected, though uncertainty flickered across his face.
"That thing isn't Marius anymore," Cassius snapped, moving to the window overlooking the arena. "Look!"
Below, the fighting cage had been ripped apart like tissue paper. In its center stood a figure that both was and wasn't Marius Finnegan. His form seemed to shift between states—one moment solid and
