Page 52 of Third

Chapter13

ANYA STIFFENEDbeside Tor’Vek, instinctively pressing closer. He shifted in front of her without thought, his stance shielding her body from the projection, though it posed no immediate physical threat.

A jagged surge of light pulsed through the chamber—erratic, sharp, followed by a sputter of static. The hologram collapsed, then re-formed with a crackle of light.

Selyr’s figure sharpened into view, more stable now, yellow eyes gleaming with delight. He didn’t smile—not yet. Hesavored.

“Ah,” he said, his tone low and crawling. “Iprojected the odds of one of you surviving the crash landing at sixty percent. Both? Forty. So this is quite remarkable.”

Tor’Vek said nothing, but the heat under his skin grew molten. He stood locked in readiness, his senses razor-sharp with threat, every nerve drawn tight like a bowstring ready to snap. The urge to lunge, to rip apart the smug image before him, thundered inside him, feral and rising.

He flexed his hands at his sides, the sinew in his forearms like cables strained to rupture. His breathing slowed, every exhale a battle against the instinct screaming for release. He stood locked in place, vibrating with fury barely leashed, awar machine held together by discipline—and crumbling inch by inch under the strain.

Anya, pulse hammering, lifted her chin and snapped, “Your experiments are going to fail, Selyr. You’re not as brilliant as you think.”

The hologram’s head tilted in mock sympathy. “Ah, the fragile human, still clinging to hope. How adorable.”

Tor’Vek surged forward a step, ajagged snarl ripping low in his throat—asound closer to a growl than speech. Lethal fury pulsated through him, his body ready for a fight.

Selyr chuckled, agrating sound that buzzed and warped through the unstable transmission before stabilizing again. His figure sharpened with malicious clarity, his expression twisted in open enjoyment of the fury he’d provoked.

Only Anya’s trembling hand, brushing lightly against Tor’Vek’s clenched forearm, kept him from lunging. Her touch was a fragile thread of warmth against the blaze of his rage, atether he did not know he needed until it was there. His muscles vibrated with restrained violence, but her fingers—small, steady, human—leashed him more effectively than any chain. The killing instinct wavered, then receded, forced back by the bond sparking between them, fierce and stubborn in its own right.

Selyr cocked his head. “You’ve noticed the shift, haven’t you? The cravings, the rage. The way the bond claws at you, physically and emotionally, every time you try to fightit.”

Tor’Vek’s voice cut in—quiet but sharp. “We have noticed.”

“You did this,” Anya said, voice shaking but steady. “You changed something in the bracelets, didn’tyou?”

Selyr’s smile widened, slow and cruel. “Of course I did. Alittle override embedded under the primary logic layer. You did not think I would let the two of you simply bond in peace, didyou?”

Anya muttered beneath her breath, “It would have beennice.”

He gave a soft, condescending sigh. “It would have been—entertaining—to see you fail on your own. But no, Idecided to accelerate the process. Your precious bracelets now betray you with every heartbeat. Craving. Rage. The more you resist, the faster youburn.”

Anya’s breath hitched. Her gaze darted to her bracelet. The silver surface shimmered with faint white light, the runes etched along it shifting subtly. “What do you mean... burn ourselves alive?”

“Oh, didn’t I mention?” He clicked his tongue. “How could I have forgotten? Your bracelets now have a countdown cycle which I’ve activated.”

“Acountdown to what?” Tor’Vek demanded, voice rough with barely leashedfury.

“Ah, so delicious.” Selyr’s tone turned singsong. “Acountdown until the bracelets explode.”

Tor’Vek took another step forward, the craving in his chest surging—hot, corrosive, impossible to contain. “How do we stopit?”

The scientist tilted his head to one side, mockery gleaming in his gaze. “Why do you think youcan?”

Anya cut in, her voice sharp and defiant. “Because dead subjects don’t generatedata.”

Selyr’s smirk flickered. Barely. But Tor’Vek saw it. That slip in confidence.”Clever, clever girl. Yes, it’s possible there’s a way to stop the countdown, but it won’t be easy.” His smile turned razor-sharp. “You’ll be pleased to know I’ve taken the liberty of accelerating the instability cycles. Craving. Rage. Desire. Destruction. All feeding into each other, growing louder the longer you fight them. Should you surrender to your needs—your craving—the countdown only accelerates.”

Tor’Vek took a single step forward, muscles locked. “You fucking piece of shit,” he snarled, the words tearing from his throat, raw and brutal. “When I find you, Selyr, Iwill tear you apart with my bare hands.”

The hologram rippled with amused contempt. “So emotional. So crude and basic.” He gave a mock shiver. “Ilove it. It will make your inevitable detonation so much more... spectacular.”

Tor’Vek surged another half-step, muscles bunching to strike, rage clawing up his spine.

Anya’s trembling hand skimmed against his forearm—afeatherlight touch. He stiffened, breath heaving, fury poised to ignite.

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