Chapter 108 - 109

Chapter 108: Chapter 109

Chapter 109

"Fuel me with strength, all Aetherbloods." I whispered beneath my breath as I sped towards him.

A simple projection from my side. A simple launch from his.

The air before my very eyes brightened, catching the lightning, and I weaved to the side, only for him to appear right beside me and drive a blow to my spine.

The pain sent a disconnection to my brain. My thoughts grew hazy. My breathing was seized. My legs gave out. My hands turned limp.

It was as though I had been severed entirely. My body, disconnected from my soul, disconnected from my mind, disconnected from my powers.

I landed harshly, dragging across the floor. The metallic scent of my blood hit my nostrils. I bled from the impact, my skin burning with bruises and flesh wounds.

My stomach hurt most of all, defying every other pain as my brain settled on that particular agony alone.

Yet I denied him the satisfaction of witnessing it.

Nathan floated down, his feet landing with a soft thump against the floor before he advanced towards me.

"I believe you don’t know my blood, Aetherblood. I’m almost like you, but stronger. Better."

I grunted, nursing the pain through gritted teeth. I tried to connect with my powers to heal myself but nothing responded. My spine wasn’t dislocated, but something had been severed.

Something like the connection to the charge.

"I know your story," I spat. "I know your father killed my parents." I paused to look into his eyes. "So, are you going to do the same to me?"

Nathan merely laughed.

"Oh, little Aetherblood, you don’t know half the story, but don’t worry, I’ll teach you." He said before turning away. "We’ll have a lot of time to spend together." He finished before moving towards...Leo.

Leo’s scream reached my ears. Nathan lifted him off the ground while Leo’s feet grasped at nothing. His hair twisted as Nathan wrenched it, forcing Leo to face him, screaming as the strands pulled at the edges of his scalp.

"And you, little rat, you betrayed me." Nathan said as he tightened his grip.

I shut my eyes, unable to bear what Leo was enduring. My own pain was more than my body could withstand, my core aching so intensely it felt as though I were one step away from a miscarriage.

"You’re a fucking monster. Let me go!" Leo yelled.

Nathan disregarded his cries entirely, as though he heard nothing while Leo fought fruitlessly. "I plan to ease your suffering anyway, for you brought the Aetherblood to my domain. You have my thanks." He spoke deviously, his chuckle low and dangerous.

"Fuck off..."

"Well, then..." Nathan paused, then flicked Leo into the air as though he were an object before catching him by the throat. "Do you have any last wishes?"

Leo stilled at those words. In his eyes, it was clear he knew what followed. There was no saving him, and there was no escaping this fate. As bitter as that truth was, he steeled himself to accept it.

Leo looked down at me, still struggling to rise, to do anything. The chaos around us suddenly went silent. Completely mute. We locked gazes, and in that moment, I saw the Leo I had met for the first time during our college years.

The way he had been outspoken and audacious. Never let any lecturer or student look down on me simply because I was an Omega. He had taught me, against all odds, to find strength in myself. All of this, before Kai ever entered the scene.

Maybe we had truly been friends regardless of the ulterior motives he harboured. Maybe fate had made him choose me out of all the other Omegas he could have befriended.

"My Luna..." He breathed, the words incomplete on his tongue before Nathan sent a lightning bolt to his chest.

My eyes widened. The yearning, the desperation to twist destiny, lurched at me, tightening my airflow. A shattering scream tore from my throat.

"NOOOO!"

The earth liquefied beneath my will, shifting form as it surged upward towards where Nathan stood. Then I turned it back to solid just before it tore through his chest, and exploded it, leaving a void where his heart should have been.

I had almost exhaled in relief when Nathan’s chuckle returned. My eyes widened at the realisation before me. He had swapped himself with Leo using a shadow shifting spell.

The void appeared in Leo’s chest instead. Nathan hurled him to my feet.

My vision blurred instantly as tears fell.

"No...no...no," I sobbed.

There was no describing what I felt. I simply couldn’t, so I let it all out. My chest tightened as though my heart was about to give way.

I struck it with my fist, not knowing how else to bear the pain.

"Yo, I thought you both hated each other. It was either he kills you first or you did. You won, Alex." Nathan said as he approached.

Leo’s eyes stared at nothing. His body turned a shade of purple, his once vibrant skin going cold.

"He was courageous. He followed me here. He could have simply left. And I...I killed him."

I couldn’t stop staring at his face. His eyes especially. How empty they were. Utterly empty.

"Destiny is hard to understand. She makes life complicated in one moment and crystal clear in another. She tells you to keep moving yet she never ceases her assaults, which she calls unforeseen circumstances. But there are some of us, Alex. Some of us gifted enough to control it. To wield Destiny to our will." Nathan stated.

He was behind me now, his voice grating against my ears.

"And I have found a way to wield Destiny." He finished, causing me to turn my head towards him.

"You’ll regret this..."

"Oh, Alex. You still don’t get it. Take away your powers, what are you?" He said, and the air choked around me. "Just an Omega."

The next thing I felt was his fist connecting with my jaw. And darkness swallowed my vision whole.