Page 74 of Shattered Darkness

“Yeah maybe,” I reply, not convinced that is the case but not able to give them another suggestion.

“Alright, while we wait why don’t we warm up, everyone pair up with who you were paired with at the last training session we did with Cain,” Levi orders.

The other’s all look somewhat relieved that they’ve been given a task and still feeling uneasy about it; I head over to the bags to warm up; my partner is usually Cain.

I really hope I’m just feeling paranoid and that Cain is about to walk through the door any second now.

I push all thoughts out of my mind when my magic starts to stir and the Darkness pulses sensing my unease. That’s the last thing I need. Instead, I focus my energy on the bag and beating the shit out of it. The longer I unleash hell on the bag, the more calm I feel.

That is until I punch the bag, and my fist stops just a few inches short of it, and I realise that I can’t fucking move. Why the hell can’t I move? I’m suddenly spun, my arm coming back to my side, and I’m faced with the hooded figure that Kai fought before, except this time, I know who it is.

Kronos.

I try to yell to get my guy's attention, but it's no good it seems that he’s somehow frozen my voice too, this is bad, this is really fucking bad.

How the hell did I not realise that he was there?

As my panic grows, my magics start to writhe.

“Don’t worry, Sage, I’m not going to kill you, at least not yet,” Kronos hisses, “no, I’m going to make you watch them kill each other.”

He gestures toward the room, and I realise that they can’t see me. They don’t know that Kronos is here, and my fear grows, my heart pounding in my chest and my magic pushing against its binds, trying to find a way to unfreeze us. I don’t know what he’s talking about; there’s no way that the others would turn on each other. All I see is them sparring, completely oblivious to what’s happening over here.

“Look closer,” Kronos taunts joyfully.

I roll my eyes. Apparently, I can still do that, which fills me with joy. I roll my eyes a lot. Since I can’t do anything else right now, I do as he suggests and look closer at my family and friends. That’s when I see it: they aren’t sparring they’re fighting, really fighting with the intention to hurt.

No.

How is he doing this? How is he controlling them?

I try to call Ghost and Knot to me, hoping that they can at least distract them from fighting each other and I can break the control that he seems to have over them, if I can get myself free. However, when I try, I hit a brick wall, and I know that there’s no way that I’m going to be able to get to them.

“No one will help you,” Kronos practically coos, “I have us held in a kind of in-between state; they can’t see you, and you can’t affect them. The Goddesses,” he spits angrily, “cannot get to you either and your precious familiars won’t even be aware that anything is wrong.”

I want to curse him out so fucking badly, but I can't. My mouth won’t move. My anger grows, and with it, my magic, it starts rolling and crashing against the confines of the binds, my anger fuelling it; the Darkness in it completely overtakes my regular magic, absorbing it and claiming it as its own. I would be concerned, but all of my fear is focused on my men and my warring family. The sounds of their fighting surround me, and soon, cries of pain are mixed in as well, each one stabbing me in the heart.

All of them are bloody, none of them are holding back, and I feel sick to my stomach. They’re really going to do it; they’re going to kill each other.

A familiar voice bellows in agony and I focus on Hunter and Jax staring in shock as I see Hunter’s mouth clamped around Jax’s leg as he shakes him brutally, the snap of the bone echoing through the room. Hunter launches him through the air and then is back on him as soon as Jax hits the floor; his mouth widens as he aims for Jax’s jugular.

If I don’t do something, Hunter is going to kill Jax, and there is no coming back from that. He will never forgive himself.

“Oh, our first death, how exciting,” Kronos giggles, the joy in his voice disturbing.

The fear and the anger that was steadily building suddenly explodes. The Darkness releasing from me burns through the binds that Kronos has bound me in with ease, and catching him by surprise I bury a dagger in his chest.

“No, how did you do that?” he questions, unfortunately seeming unaffected by the dagger.

I’m about to demand that he fix the guys, not daring to look in Jax and Hunter’s direction until I’m too late, but before I can, the Darkness that has been contained for so long envelopes me, burning through my veins. I scream in agony feeling a shock wave of magic burst from me and praying that it doesn’t damage anyone but in too much pain to see.

I’m vaguely aware of Kronos cursing as I feel his heavy aura leave, but the pain soon consumes my every thought.

Jax

I blink in confusion as I look up at Hunter’s wolf poised above me, looking just as confused as I feel. I remember the last few minutes, but I have no idea why we were fighting like that and when I glance down at what should be my torn to shred’s leg, it’s in perfect condition which is weird.

“Fuck, what the hell was that,” Hunt asks, panicking as he looks down at my leg, now back in human form.

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