Page 290 of The Ascended
Perhaps we need to cut out the toxin, then.
We just need to wait for the right moment. Wear him down.
"Enough games." Moros's fury shook the temple, and both his hands rose. I hit my knees, my light flickering as I fought against the pressure. Beside me, Thatcher struggled to stand, his power warring against the force trying to flatten us.
But we'd bought what we needed—distraction.
"Now!" Thatcher roared, and his power surged. While Moros focused on crushing us, Thatcher's will invaded Olinthar's body unopposed.
Olinthar’s flesh began to split. Muscle twisted and coiled, pulling itself apart. But Moros fought back instantly—golden light poured from every wound, trying to seal what Thatcher tore open.
"Get out," Thatcher growled.
The sound was horrific—wet tearing and snaps. Ribs bent outward with sharp cracks as Thatcher forced the Aesymar’s chest to bloom open like some nightmare flower.
"Casting me out won’t be so simple, children." Moros's growl made the temple shake.
The force crushing us faltered as Moros lost concentration. Irolled to my feet, stellar fire blazing.I’ll keep him busy, I shouted to Thatcher through the bond, then launched myself at Moros's back.
My blade found its mark between his shoulder blades. He made no sound, but he whirled to face me. And that gave Thatcher the opening he needed. More of Olinthar's flesh split and peeled, revealing the shadow-tainted depths within.
"Simple girl." Moros's hand shot out, invisible force closing around my throat again. But this time I was ready. Light erupted from every inch of my skin, burning through his magical grip. “You know not what you do.” His silver eyes stayed locked on me. I bared my teeth into a smile.
And then his chest cavity yawned open.
Wrapped around every organ was a black substance clinging and dripping like tar in some places, slithering into the ether like shadows.
Nausea claimed my throat. Vile. It was vile.
Golden energy slithered across the wound, working to repair the torn skin.
"You want to wear flesh?" Thatcher's eyes blazed, and I saw it then—just a split second, when my brother's eyes burned Primordial silver. "Then suffer in it."
I darted in from the side, star blades slicing through tendrils of golden light that tried to protect Moros's true form. Each cut made the shadows writhe and recoil, weakening his grip on Olinthar's body.
"You’re just a parasite," I snarled, driving another blade deep into the exposed mass of shadows. "What will you do when you have no true form to cling to?"
Moros's rage was volcanic. Invisible force erupted from the open chest cavity, slamming both Thatcher and me backward. We hit opposite walls, but we were in it now. We were ready for anything. And so we moved once more.
"Vorinar gave me something truly special.” A voice seemed to purr around us. No sound was coming from Olinthar’s lips. More ofthat black, tar-like essence poured from the gaping chest wound as Moro’s hold weakened. “New inspiration.”
And then Olinthar went completely still.
Moros's true form erupted from the chest cavity, a geyser of liquid shadow and writhing darkness that evaporated into mist.
Olinthar's body collapsed, his chest a ruin of torn flesh and exposed bone. The cavity Thatcher had created gaped wide—I could see his spine through the gap where his ribs should have met. His heart still beat weakly, visible through the wreckage, each pulse sending more corruption pooling across the stone.
He should have been dead.
But divine healing had already sparked. Golden light flickered around the wound's edges. Ribs twitched, trying to remember their shape. Flesh crawled slowly, trying to bridge the gap. His chest rose and fell in wet, bubbling breaths.
We did it,I sent through our bond, limping toward my brother. Blood ran down my back in rivers.We actually beat him. We?—
"A noble fight indeed, but you know not the forces you deal with," a voice hummed through the chamber. "I existed before your pantheon drew first breath, and I will exist when the last star dies."
"Maybe." Thatcher stood calm, blood caking his arms where Olinthar’s light had burned him. "But not here. Not in this world."
“Then perhaps, in the next.”
