“Luca,” Sacer called without looking away from the wall of ice. “Can you burn through this?”

  I pressed my hand against the barrier, heat already rolling off me in waves. The ice hissed and cracked, but it didn’t immediately give. “Not fast enough.”

  Sacer let out a deep breath. “Then we go through it.” After taking a step back, he braced himself before swinging his sword with all his strength. The impact sent a sharp clang! throughout the square, cracks spider webbing across the ice. “Edric-”

  “On it,” Edric cut in, his grin wide. He raised his hands, lightning arcing between his palms before slamming them against the weakened ice. The force of his magic sent a ripple through the wall, and with a resounding crack, the ice began to crumble.

  Sacer didn’t wait. The moment an opening showed itself, he moved- his sword a streak of gold as he surged through the breach.

  “Luca, keep pressure on the ice- don’t let him reinforce the wall!” he barked. “Edric, take the other guy- don’t give him time to think.”

  Black flames roared to life in my hands as I hurled them at the middle knight. He barely managed to raise a shield of frost before my heat slammed into it, sending steam hissing into the air.

  In a flash of lightning, Edric’s blade clashed against the youngest knight’s broadsword. Sparks flew as their weapons met.

  The man sneered. “Fast, but sloppy.” He twisted his broadsword, pushing Edric back with sheer strength. “You fight like any old thug.”

  “Yeah? Well you fight like you got a stick up your ass.”

  His face twisted in aggravation, but he kept a ready stance. With a lunge, he slashed horizontally, aiming for Edric’s midsection.

  Edric backstepped, pivoting on his heel. He darted in, sword flicking out like a snake’s strike, cutting across the knight’s exposed shoulder.

  The knight gritted his teeth and lashed out with a boot to Edric’s ribs. He barely managed to roll with the impact, skidding across the ice.

  The knight smirked. “Like I said, a thug.”

  Edric wiped his mouth, still grinning. “Thug, huh?” He rose to his feet, twirling his sword, electricity crackling along the edge. “You’re gonna love this.”

  The knight charged, his broadsword raised for an overhead strike.

  Edric sprinted to meet him, dodging at the last second. The knight’s blade slammed into the ice, sending cracks splintering outward. Before he could recover, Edric leaped up, planting a foot on the soldiers back to send him higher.

  Mid-air, he twisted his sword in a tight arc. Lightning streaked down, the blade acting as a lightning rod. With instantaneous speed, Edric redirected it straight into the knight.

  The crackling bolt struck him square in the back, lighting up his armor like a beacon. He convulsed violently before collapsing to his knees, his sword slipping from numb fingers.

  Edric landed lightly on his feet, smirking. “Thug, one. Hardass, zero.”

  The knight tried to stand, only for Edric to place his boot on the man's back. His grin fading. “Yield.”

  The female knight, the one in command, intercepted Sacer, their blades meeting with a resounding screech. “Stay out of this, Hero. This is Royal business”

  Sacer ignored her. He feinted left, then pivoted, swinging low. She barely parried in time, and he pressed the advantage, forcing her onto defense.

  For a moment, it looked like he was in control of the fight. Then-

  The wind shifted.

  A sudden gust slammed into him like a hammer, throwing him off balance. Before he could recover, another burst sent him tumbling across the ice. He barely managed to plant his sword in the ground to stop himself before the knight was on him again, moving with an effortless grace.

  She raised a hand high, and a blade of air shot toward him. He dodged, barely, the fabric covering his chest being cut open, revealing his chainmail.

  The knight smirked. She held her sword at the ready, wind curling around the blade as if it were a living thing.

  “You’re strong. Well trained.” she admitted. “But you don’t use your magic. Why is that?”

  Sacer pulled himself up, gripping his sword tighter. I could tell by the way his expression shifted that he was thinking. Calculating.

  She moved first, sending another razor-sharp gust toward him. Sacer dodged again, but the moment his feet hit the ground, another gust of wind slammed into his side, knocking him off his feet.

  She was controlling the battlefield, not letting Sacer do anything.

  The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  But then, my brother did something unexpected.

  He exhaled sharply, letting the wind take him.

  Instead of fighting against it, he angled his body midair, twisting with the current. The moment his feet touched ground, he used the momentum to launch himself forward, so fast the knight had barely any time to react.

  Their blades met once more, but this time Sacer didn’t brute force it. He forced her to move her own strike, using the wind still lingering around them to slide around her guard.

  A flash of golden light erupted from his sword.

  The knight flinched at the sudden burst, her grip faltering for a split second, and that second was all Sacer needed.

  He kicked her square in the chest. She staggered back, but before she could recover, Sacer was already moving.

  He got on top of her, pinning her beneath him with his knee pressed into her chest.

  “Yield,” he said, voice firm.

  Her jaw tightened. A muscle twitched in her cheek. Then, with a slow exhale, she let her hands fall limp at her sides. “...I yield.”

  A ragged breath behind me sent a shiver down my spine. I turned just in time to see Damian, his back against the wall of ice. His eyes were wide, unfocused, and his hands were shaking at his sides. Flickers of fire sputtering uselessly in his palms.

  The ice knight stepped forward, a cruel smirk plastered on his face. “You’re not getting away this time.” He raised his hand, and ice surged forward, creeping up Damian’s legs, locking him in place.

  “No- I- No, no, no-” The boy's breaths came out in short, ragged gasps. His hands flew to his head, fingers digging into his scalp as his body shook violently.

  “Pathetic,” the old knight sneered, He lifted his sword, his eyes gleaming with pleasure.

  Something snapped inside me.

  “Damian!” I shouted, surging forward.

  He didn’t respond.

  I reached him just as the soldier's blade came down. Fire erupted from my palms, crashing into the frozen steel. The force of my flames sent the knight stumbling back.

  I grabbed Damian by the shoulders, shaking him. “Listen to me,” I said, forcing my voice to steady. “I know you’re scared. But you have to move.”

  His head jerked, breath still coming in frantic gasps. “I- I can’t-”

  “You can.” I said, producing enough heat to melt the ice holding him in place.

  For a second, he didn’t move. Then, his breathing slowed- just a little.

  The ice knight recovered, stepping toward us once again. He prepared his sword, eyes dark with rage.

  In an instant, Damian was on the knight.

  The older man barely had time to react before Damian’s flames lashed out, knocking him off his feet. He slammed against the ice wall with a grunt, steam hissing where fire met frost.

  The boy didn’t let up.

  He grabbed the knight’s wrists before he could swing his sword, his small fingers glowing red-hot against the metal. The smell of burning leather filled the air as Damian wrenched his arm, twisting until-

  SNAP.

  The knight howled. His sword clattered uselessly to the ground.

  Damian breathed hard through his nose, his shoulders shaking. “I know you.”

  The soldier gasped, writhing in pain. “M-monster-”

  The boy's red-hot fists slammed into his ribs, knocking the air from his lungs.

  “You were there.” Another punch. “In the dark.”

  The soldier wheezed, scrambling against the ice.

  Damian’s voice shook, but not from fear. “You… you picked who got to eat.” His breathing turned shallow. “Who got to sleep.” Both of his hands grasped tightly around the man's throat. “Who got to die.”

  The man choked.

  Damian leaned in close, a breath of fire licking at the knight’s face. “You said I was just a rat.”

  The flames in his hands burned hotter.

  “You laughed when they cut me open.”

  The knight’s eyes widened in terror.

  Damian’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You laughed.”

  Flames roared to life, engulfing the knight in a searing black blaze. The heat was unbearable- I had to take a step back as the fire swallowed everything. Armor melted. Flesh sizzled. By the time it was over, there was nothing left but charred scraps and a pool of steaming water where the wall of ice had melted.

  Silence.

  Sacer and Edric watched, but neither of them moved.

  Edric swallowed, rubbing the back of his neck. “...Shit.”

  Damian stood there, swaying slightly in a daze, staring at his hands. His shoulders trembled.

  At first, I thought he was in shock.

  Then his lips curled upward.

  “I killed him.” His voice was small, almost childlike. A whisper of disbelief, then, a giggle. “I really did.” His smile widened, bright and happy- like he’d just won a game.

  My hair stood on end.

  Sacer took a step forward. “Kid-”

  “I win,” Damian whispered, still staring at his hands. His fingers curled in, opening and closing like he was testing if they were real. “I win.”

  His shoulders shook. Another giggle. But it came out too sharp, too breathy, almost like he couldn’t catch his breath.

  But before I could say anything, Damian’s body seized. His breathing hitched. His fingers twitched as if he was trying to shake something off. Then suddenly, he gasped like he was drowning.

  His knees buckled. His hands clawed at his chest, his throat, his arms- as if he could feel something there, holding him down, cutting him open.

  “I-” his voice cracked. “I can’t-”

  I caught him before he collapsed. “Breathe.”

  His eyes were wide and unfocused, darting frantically like he didn’t know where he was.

  “You’re here. You’re safe.” I said firmly.

  His head snapped toward me. His pupils blown wide, his breath coming in quick, panicked gasps. But then, slowly, his breathing evened out.

  Sacer crouched next to me, his voice gentle. “Count with me. One…”

  Damian’s lips trembled.

  “Two,” Sacer said.

  The boy let out a shaky breath. “...Three.”

  His small fingers curled into my cloak, gripping tight. His shoulders sagged.

  And then- a tiny breathless giggle.

  “I did it,” he whispered. His voice was hoarse, but the grin returned. "I really did it.”

  No one said anything.

  What the hell were we supposed to say?