The Boiling Point
270 Words
Episode 9: The Boiling Point
The effect of the Salt of Bitterness was gradual. By the following evening, Lola’s skin felt like it was on fire. Her "Thermal" energy wasn't flowing; it was thrashing.
"Lola, sit down," Leo commanded, sensing the shift in the room. The air was shimmering with heat haze. "You’re overcharged."
"I... I don't feel right, Leo," she gasped, clutching her stomach.
He reached out to steady her, but the moment his fingers brushed her arm, he recoiled with a hiss of pain. His fingertips were blackened, as if he’d touched a red-hot stove.
"Poison," Leo growled, his silver eyes flashing with murderous intent. "The Salt."
The door to the study was kicked open. Rose and Lorraine stood there, backed by a dozen other Cold Blood students. Rose held a jagged ice-spike in her hand.
"The 'catalyst' is broken, Leo!" Rose shouted. "She’s a ticking bomb now. If you stay near her, she’ll melt the very core of your essence. Step away, and we’ll put her out of her misery."
Lola collapsed to the floor, her vision swimming. The heat inside her was unbearable, a roar of white noise in her brain. She looked at Leo. He was clutching his burned hand, his face pale with the effort of resisting the heat radiating from her.
"Leo... go," she whispered. "It hurts."
Leo looked at the mob of students, then down at the girl trembling at his feet. He had a choice: protect his own "Cold Blood" purity and survive, or touch the fire and risk total annihilation.
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