-Sacer-

  “Took you long enough, hero.” Edric teased, grinning as if he wasn’t holding his own broken wrist.

  But I didn’t respond to his banter. I couldn’t. My rage was burning like an incessant wildfire. My mentor’s hand was gone, the capital was in ruins, and I could only assume King Calor was dead.

  I barely had time to block before Damian was on me. His claws scraped against my golden shield, sparks flying as magic and shadow clashed. His red eyes burned, sharp with amusement.

  “What’s wrong, devil?” He grinned, fangs glinting in the fire light. “Don’t want a repeat of Fatalis, do you?.”

  I shoved him back and threw up another shield, but he barely slowed down. He smashed through it like it was nothing, shards of gold scattering in the air. I swung my sword, but he ducked, already striking as his tail lashed out, and I had to twist away before it could take my legs out.

  Too fast. Too damn fast.

  I threw up another shield, reinforcing it with everything I had. Damian lunged, but the second he made contact, I let it explode outward in a pulse of golden light. The blast sent him skidding back, rubble flying in every direction.

  He landed in a crouch, red eyes narrowed as he wiped dust from his face.

  “Cute trick,” he said, tilting his head. “Think that’s enough though?”

  I didn’t answer. I slammed my hand into the ground, sending golden light rippling out in every direction. Barriers shot up around us—dozens of them, weaving into a maze of glowing walls.

  Damian’s gaze flicked around, tracking the shifting shields.

  Then he laughed. “You really think this will stop me?”

  He moved like a shadow, slipping between the barriers, claws slicing through them like they were nothing. But that was fine.

  I wasn’t trying to stop him.

  I was leading him on.

  The second he was where I wanted, I forced every single shield to detonate at once in a ripple of golden light. The force slammed into him, knocking him off balance, and I lunged. My blade caught him across the chest.

  Damian let out a sharp hiss, stumbling back.

  I didn’t stop. I pressed forward, golden light crackling around me, filling my body with heat, with power. I raised my free hand, summoning another barrier just in time to catch his next attack. His claws scraped uselessly against the glowing shield.

  I twisted around him, dismissing the shield as I brought my sword down again. He barely dodged, but I kept moving, kept attacking, light sparking with every strike.

  For a second, I had him.

  For a second, he wasn’t grinning anymore.

  Then, just as I went for another swing, he shifted.

  His tail snapped out—not for my chest, not for my sword, but for my leg.

  Pain screamed through my entire body as he made contact.

  I barely had time to process it before Damian’s hand closed around my throat.

  The world tilted as he lifted me clean off the ground, claws digging into my skin. I gasped, struggling to breathe, but the pain in my leg sent my vision flashing white.

  “Gotcha.”

  Then he threw me.

  I crashed through stone. Everything blurred—dust, light, pain. My skull rattled, my lungs emptied. I tumbled through rubble before slamming into the ground, hard.

  I groaned, my whole body screaming. I tried to move, but the pain in my leg was blinding.

  Through the haze, I saw the pedestal.

  The Mirage Sword.

  The blade that started everything, literally and metaphorically.

  A shadow passed over me. Damian stood on the broken wall, watching me like a cat playing with its food.

  “Wow,” he purred. “That looked like it hurt.”

  I clenched my fists, golden light flickering weakly in my palm.

  I wasn’t done yet.

  I groaned, my vision swimming as I attempted to push myself up. My whole body ached, but the sharp, unbearable pain in my leg was impossible to ignore. Oh yeah. Broken. Definitely broken.

  Gritting my teeth, I forced my hands forward, summoning a shield between Damian and myself. I reacted just in time, blocking a wave of black fire.

  “You’re really dragging this out,” Damian sighed. “Come on, Sace. Get up and fight me.”

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  His voice was practically muffled to me. My focus was entirely on my leg, on the magic pooling in my hands as I pressed them to the injury, willing it to heal. I wasn’t as good at this as others, hell I wasn’t even decent at it, but I had to at least try.

  Get up.

  There was a voice I hadn’t heard in a while.

  This isn’t over.

  “No thanks to you,” I muttered, closing my eyes to concentrate.

  Stand up, Sacer.

  “Oh, shut up!” My voice was hoarse, shaking. “This is all your fault. You made the world believe that Damon’s blood was evil from the get-go. You hid them away. You turned me against my own brother.”

  And yet, here you are. Still fighting for what’s right.

  I barked out a bitter laugh. “You don’t get to decide what’s right. Not after everything you did.”

  There was a brief second of silence before he spoke again. Then stop trying to be the next me, Sacer. Be you. Be the Hero: Sacer Umbra.

  Be me, huh?

  I let out a breath, shaky but steady, as I rose to my feet. I bit down on my lip to hold in a groan as I put weight on my injured leg. It was weak, but it could hold my weight. It had to.

  Damian was waiting patiently, tapping his claws rhythmically against the golden shield. He grinned when he saw me stand. “Finally, I was getting bored over here.”

  I didn’t answer. I limped over to the pedestal beside me, wrapping my fingers around the leather-clad handle. I could feel the sword pulse, as if it was urging me to free it from its prison.

  I yanked the Mirage Sword free. It shimmered, catching the firelight and reflecting the ruined city back at me. It felt surprisingly light, but I could feel this raw, buzzing power humming through it. My leg, though? That felt like someone had taken a hammer to it. Every step was a fresh wave of agony.

  "Think that'll help?" Damian sneered, his red eyes practically glowing in the dark. "It's just a shiny toy."

  "A toy that can cut you down," I gritted out, my voice rough.

  We squared off, the air thick with tension. I took a wobbly step, leaning on the sword for support. Damian lunged, a blur of shadow and claws. I barely got the Mirage Sword up in time.

  The impact vibrated up my arm, sending a jolt of pain shooting through my leg. The sword held, thankfully, but I stumbled, almost going down. Every movement was a fight against the pain.

  We traded blows, a chaotic mess of steel and shadow. The Mirage Sword sang, a high, thin note, as it sliced through the air. I tried to ignore the throbbing in my leg, focusing on keeping Damian at bay. Every shift in weight was a fresh wave of fire.

  He was fast, impossibly fast. And I was limping. He knew it, too. He kept targeting my leg, forcing me to move in ways that made me want to scream. I blocked a swipe, the force making me stumble, and a choked-off groan escaped me.

  Damian’s grin widened. "Awww tired already, hewo?" He mocked. “Maybe you should just die already.”

  He threw a wave of black fire at me, a wall of heat that forced me back. I raised the Mirage Sword, the golden light flickering, deflecting the worst of it, but the heat still singed my skin. I almost went down, my leg buckling.

  "Don't push it," I gasped, each breath ragged. "Or you'll find out what this 'toy' can do."

  He roared, a sound of pure fury, and unleashed another blast of fire, even stronger than before. I braced myself, the Mirage Sword glowing, pushing back the flames. I lunged, ignoring the scream of my leg, aiming for his chest.

  He tried to dodge, but I anticipated him, the sword moving almost on its own. It sliced across his side, drawing a dark, oily blood. He hissed, stumbling back.

  "This isn't just a toy," I said, my voice strained. "It's a weapon." The sword pulsed, the golden light washing over me, and for a moment, the pain in my leg eased, just enough to give me a second wind.

  We clashed again, the sword meeting his claws in a shower of sparks. The Mirage Sword was powerful, but Damian was a master of shadows, his movements unpredictable. He countered my attacks with a speed that made my head spin.

  The fight dragged on, a brutal, exhausting dance.

  My leg screamed with every step, but I refused to yield. I had to end this.

  Damian lunged, his claws aimed at my throat. I parried, meeting his attack. I twisted, using his momentum against him, and brought the sword down in a wide arc.

  He tried to block, but the Mirage Sword sliced through his defenses, catching him across the chest. He roared, a sound of pure rage, and stumbled back, clutching his wound.

  I didn’t give him a chance to recover. I pressed forward, the Mirage Sword a blur of golden light. I attacked with a ferocity I didn’t know I possessed, every strike fueled by rage and desperation. Damian was reeling, his movements becoming sluggish. He was still fast, still dangerous, but he was wounded, and he was losing.

  I saw my chance. I feinted to the left, then lunged to the right, the Mirage Sword aimed at his chest. He tried to block, but I was too fast. The blade plunged into his side, sinking deep. He gasped, his eyes widening in shock. I twisted the sword, and he let out a guttural scream.

  I yanked the Mirage Sword free, and Damian staggered back, his dark blood staining the ruined stone. He swayed, his red eyes filled with a mix of rage and disbelief.

  "This... this isn't over," he snarled, his voice weak.

  "Yes," I said, my voice cold. "It is." I raised the Mirage Sword, the golden light pulsing, and brought it down in a final, decisive strike.

  Damian let out a final, choked gasp as the blade connected. The force of the blow sent him flying, his body slamming into the rubble where Edric and Alden lay wounded. He landed with a sickening thud, his body limp and still.

  The Mirage Sword hummed in my hand, the golden light fading as the battle ended. I stood there, breathing heavily, my body aching, my leg throbbing. The ruined city stretched out around me, a testament to the destruction Damian had done.

  I limped over to where Edric and Alden lay, my vision swimming. Damian was a dark, still shape next to them.

  Edric groaned, his eyes fluttering open. He looked up at me, a weak grin spreading across his face. "Well, that was... something," he said, his voice hoarse. "Took you long enough to actually land a good hit."

  Alden’s eyes were open, and he was staring at the sky. He didn’t look at me or Edric. "Be serious, Edric." He said, his voice flat.

  A wave of exhaustion washed over me, but a shaky laugh escaped my lips as I sank onto a large, jagged stone.

  I’d done it. I’d actually won—

  A low, guttural rumble vibrated through the square, cutting my victory short. My eyes snapped to Damian’s body, and a cold dread gripped me. He was rising, his movements slow and deliberate, stalking towards us like a predator refusing to be denied its kill.

  I tried to stand, but my leg screamed in protest, a searing reminder of its broken state. I pushed through the pain, forcing myself upright, but my movements were clumsy and unsteady.

  Damian’s form shimmered, coalescing into a menacing shape as he prepared to strike. Just as his claws began to extend, a voice rang out, clear and sharp, a voice that shouldn’t have been there.

  “Sacer! Toss it in the air!”

  Luca?