REONE
Lhanak, Feya, and Lyrian stood waiting when Reone finally appeared out of the darkness of the cave.
"Finally," Lhanak said, arms crossed. "I was about to come look for you, thinking you got lost."
Reone came to stand beside Lyrian, who was clearly relieved to see him.
"Isn't that a bit of an overreaction? It's been less than five minutes."
"That's time wasted," Lhanak shot back. "Every minute counts—the Extractors must be getting closer and closer."
"Well,I'm here now," Reone said. "We can proceed."
Lyrian looked up at him, suspicion already forming.
"Wait… so what was it that you and Primi werre talking about?"
"We already told you guys.Just minor details of the plan," Reone said, managing to sound exasperated. But he still didn't look at her.
Which only made her more suspicious.
Lhanak groaned loudly. "Enough chatter. We need to move. Primi's probably luring those Extractors here as we speak."
"Alright, Lhanak. We get it," Feya said.
Still irritated,Lhanak barked at them."Then let's go."
He shot forward without another word, and the others immediately followed.
Reone kept glancing at Lyrian as they ran—checking her footing, her speed. She kept up easily, but he still watched her like she might collapse at any moment.
Lyrian noticed, of course. Her eyebrows immediately pinched together in confusion.
What was up with him anyway?
Reone had been acting strange ever since she woke up—distant one moment, overprotective the next. She wanted to attribute his behaviour to her injury, but his behavior was too bizarre for something as simple as that.
Something more was going on, and she wanted to find out what.
Before she could think deeper, Lhanak stopped abruptly. They skidded to a halt behind him.
"We're here," he announced.
Ahead were two branching tunnels. One looked stable. The other—if you looked closely—was a disaster waiting to happen.
"We really should've put a warning sign in front of this tunnel," Feya murmured, eyeing the unstable one.
"Yep," Lhanak agreed. "But it's too late for that. After today, this tunnel will be blocked by massive chunks of rock."
"And Extractor bodies,"Reone added darkly.
Lyrian frowned. "So how do we know the Extractors will even take this path?"
"Leave that to Primi," Feya said. "He'll figure out how to bait them."
"We need to hide. Now," Lhanak said sharply.
He pointed upward. "There—those alcoves. Lyrian, Reone, you take that one. Feya and I will take that one over there."
Before anyone could ask how, Lhanak sprinted at the wall, leapt, grabbed the alcove edge, and pulled himself up with practiced ease. He crouched and extended a hand.
"Your turn, Feya."
She followed smoothly, grabbing his hand as he lifted her into the cramped space with him.
Lyrian chose the easier route—she flew straight up, wings brushing the stone as she slipped inside the alcove. She turned and held out her hand.
"Come on."
Reone jumped, caught her arm, and she pulled—straining. He was very heavy. But after a few seconds of effort, she managed to haul him in.
Reone raised his eyebrow at her breathlessness.
"Am I really that heavy?"
"Extremely," Lyrian whispered. "Which is crazy, considering we haven't had a proper meal in days."
Reone let out a soft laugh.
It caught her off guard—and she found herself pausing to enjoy the sound.
They settled into the cramped alcove, lying on their sides, pressed close in the tiny space. They both pretended not to notice how little room there was.
"Guess we wait now," Reone whispered.
"Guess so," Lyrian echoed.
She glanced around the tiny alcove, then gave a small laugh. "Never in a million years would I have predicted we'd end up like this today."
"Me neither."
His voice wasn't joking—quiet, subdued, weighed down.
Lyrian caught it instantly. Before she could ask, another thought hit her.
"Damn… we could've been almost at the temple by now." She turned toward him with regret. "I'm so sorry, Reone."
He blinked, confused. "Sorry? For what?"
"If I hadn't gotten myself hurt, we wouldn't be stuck here."
"Lyrian," Reone said softly, "none of that was your fault. The blame lies with the Nullborn, not you. And I'm not sorry we're here instead of nearing the temple."
"You're not?"
He shook his head. "Because now we're helping protect the Diviners from those monsters. Which… we should've done from the beginning. Like you said."
Lyrian's eyes softened. "You mean that?"
"I do," Reone said. His voice gentled. "Meeting them made me realize It's important that we help others, even at great personal cost. It can make all the difference in someone's life."
He didn't specify who he meant—but Lyrian knew he was talking about her and maybe himself too.
"So,about Damon and the Sisterhood..."
"We'll figure something out later,"he said but he didnt seem sure. Lyrian didnt press him.With this mission,he already had a lot on his mind.
But hearing him now gave her courage to broach a subject that had been weighing heavily on her mind.
"I know this isn't the best moment… but can you forgive me,Reone? For keeping Anika a secret from you?"
She knew it was unfair—he was finally unguarded and she was taking advantage of that vulnerability. But she couldn't bear the tension lingering between them any longer.
Reone closed his eyes and sighed. When he opened them again, his expression was soft.
"Honestly… I think I already have."
Lyrian's eyes widened. "Really?"
He nodded. "I'm still hurt that you didn't trust me. But… I know that trust doesn't happen instantly. So… yeah." He gave a tiny shrug.
Lyrian leaned in and kissed him.
Soft, grateful, tender.
"Thank you," she whispered when she pulled away. "For forgiving me. For understanding."
Reone swallowed, momentarily speechless.
Lyrian watched him, heart warm… but a thought stirred deep inside her.
If he wasn't mad at her
and not upset about the mission delay
then what was making him act so strange?
Before she could ask—
Shouting echoed through the tunnel.
"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"
"He went this way!"
"GET HIM, YOU IDIOTS!"
Reone and Lyrian instantly tensed, bodies rigid in the tiny alcove.
The voices drew closer—deep, angry, unmistakably menacing.
The Nullborn Extractors.
Reone's eyes met Lyrian's.
"They're here," he whispered.
******
From their cramped alcove, Reone and Lyrian watched Primi sprint into view. The guy skidded to a stop and dragged his sharp nails across his own wrist. Pink blood splattered onto the tunnel floor.
Lyrian winced.
Reone muttered, "Did he really do that…?"
Primi flicked the blood toward the unstable tunnel entrance—careful not to step inside. He looked up, calculating the distance to the alcove. He wouldn't make it in time. Thinking fast, he darted a few feet over and wedged himself into a narrow crack in the cave wall, flattening himself against the stone.
And just in time.
Heavy footsteps thundered down the corridor.
The Extractors.
Roscoe, the second-in-command, appeared first, panting.
"Where did he go? Which tunnel?!"
The boss shoved past him. "That one. There's a blood trail." He jabbed a finger toward the unstable path. "Everyone, follow me."
From the alcove, Lyrian and Reone shared a small, satisfied look.
The Extractors were falling for it.
But one Extractor froze at the entrance. A bulky man with trembling hands and wide, terrified eyes.
Darel.
He stared at the unstable tunnel like it was swallowing the light. "Boss… I'm getting a weird feeling about this."
"Shut up, Darel," the boss snapped, his voice echoing. "Get over here."
Darel didn't move. He shook like a leaf in a storm.
Reone whispered under his breath, "Come on… go in."
But Darel's voice cracked. "I'm sorry, boss—I can't do this!"
He spun around and bolted the opposite direction, his heavy steps thudding ridiculously loud in the cave.
"DAREL!" the boss roared.
Losing control was intolerable to him—more so than losing the Diviner. Jaw clenched, he stormed out of the tunnel, fully intending to drag Darel back and tear him apart.
Reone's eyes widened.
"Lyrian."
"On it."
She dropped from the alcove, landing hard. The others followed one by one.
The boss stumbled to a halt.
"What—who…" he breathed, stunned.
Lyrian flashed him a bright, dangerous smile. "Hi."
She unleashed a sonic burst.
The impact slammed into him like a shockwave, hurling him backward into the unstable tunnel and knocking several of his men with him. He hit the ground with a brutal thud.
Immediately, the tunnel walls shuddered. Pebbles rained down. The Extractors panicked, making high, frightened noises.
"W-what's happening?!" the boss yelled, fear cutting into his voice for the first time.
Before he could rise, Lyrian aimed upward.
"Sonic blast!"
The tunnel boomed as the shockwave hit the ceiling. Stone cracked. Massive chunks tore loose, crashing down onto the Extractors.
Their screams vanished beneath the thunder of collapsing rock.
Lyrian and the others shielded their eyes as dust exploded outward, thick and choking.
Slowly, silence eerily settled over the cavern.
Lyrian coughed, waving the dust away from her face.
Reone touched her shoulder. "Everyone alright?"
"I'm fine," she answered.
"Me too!" Feya chirped.
"I think I swallowed a rock," Lhanak groaned.
Lyrian stared at what used to be a tunnel, now just a sealed wall of jagged rubble. "Is it over?"
Reone nodded. "Yeah. I think so."
"We really did it," Feya said, laughter bubbling out of her."Wait, about that Darel guy?"
"Did you see him running away like a scared kid?I dont think he'll be a problem,"Lyrian said.
"Nope, "Reone agreed.
"I can't believe your plan worked, Outsider. I'll admit, I had my doubts," Lhanak began—
But a deep crackling sound cut him off.
They turned just as the rocks shifted… then erupted outward.
They scrambled back as the Extractor boss tore himself out of the rubble with a ragged yell. His body was mangled, crushed in several places, dripping blood—
But still standing.
"You insolent creatures," he snarled. "How dare you."
Lyrian's initial shock hardened to resolve. She stepped forward.
"We have you outnumbered, Extractor. Give up now."
A slow smile stretched across his ruined face.
Then he started to laugh—low, unstable, echoing off the stone.
"That's what you think, Sylph."
Before she could react, he closed his eyes.
His skin rippled.
And then—
Another version of him pulled free.
Then another.
And another.
Five.
Ten.
Fifteen.
Twenty.
Identical copies filled the cavern.
Lhanak sighed loudly. "I spoke too soon."