Path Of The Broken

23. Perverted Bonds-2

Alex felt the battle rage surge inside him, the power pouring into him, and a predatory smile spread on his lips, his eyes lighting up as the rage rose deep within. He was stronger than the mad one below him.

Then he froze, eyes fastening on one who came out of the tent. Human. Not Sundered.

Watching the scene as it unfolded below him, Alex saw the Sundered try to back away. His power flared as if he was about to fight, then his knees buckled, and he screamed, begging for mercy from the human. The human snarled, his hand holding out a capped bottle to the kneeling man in front of him. As Alex watched, he saw the Sundered’s hand shake as he took the bottle.

Kill me, please kill me. I’m lost. As soon as I take this, I will fight you. Kill me.

Alex stiffened. He watched as the mad one swallowed the contents of the vial. The Sundered One crumpled in pain and screamed, his body shivering in reaction. Then Alex saw it—the insidious bonds he recognised from Kyle. They pulsed as he watched, filaments reaching out from the primary connection and binding their way around the broken man like a spider’s web. His skin glowed in a pattern that crisscrossed his body, melding with the balefully glowing lines, the power coming from the man—the human man—in a way that was both familiar and unfamiliar. Alex couldn’t work out what it was about the power of the human that was triggering his memory.

Shaking himself out of his introspection, Alex transitioned into the glade where the pair camped, drawing his sword as the Sundered rose from his knees, madness in his eyes. Alex called fire, wrapping it around his blade, cutting through the fiery bonds that he could see. He was learning, to use power to fight the power, and the genuine sword to follow through against the flesh. As his sword followed through and up, he saw the mad one stumble, like a puppet cut from its strings.

Kill me, they’ll retake me. Kill me.

Alex felt hopeless rage well up in him as he slashed his blade back down, using the strength of the wind and earth to cut through his opponent's neck, severing the head from the body. Alex watched, like the moment was in slow motion, the head falling back, tumbling to the ground. The body stood for a moment as if not realising that its life had just been ended, then toppled bonelessly, sprawling next to the separated head. Alex didn’t pause to think as he spun, looking at what appeared to be a man. Wanting the kill, he drew power to him and screamed. Instead, he pulled back and cast it at the man, holding him in a cage of fire and earth. Alex paused, knowing his eyes lit with the inner flare of power as he teetered on the edge of madness.

Alex saw a questing trail of power reaching out toward him and snarled. He reached out with his own power, hauling that malignant thread to him, then extinguished it. It was the power of the veil, yet wielded differently to how he did. Still, power was power, and that was something he had more of. The other’s abilities seemed somewhat constrained and limited compared to what he was able to do. Strangely enough, that was enough to settle his mind and bring him back to a semblance of stability.

“Nice try, that won’t work with me. Now how about we find out who and what you are?”