3.1.2

Content warnings: being burned alive, child death, panic attack, strangulation (detail below; skip if you prefer surprises)

• A child burns to death—described from the perspective of the child and one witness.

• A character has a brief panic attack.

• A character is depicted strangling someone—described from the perspective of the murder.

~.~

“This is going to go poorly,” Dani groaned.

As Juli stared at the structure looming before them, he had to agree. The building was only four stories tall, but its width stretched over an entire block. The upper floors were delineated by even rows of tall glass windows, each with its own balcony, and the tiled roof was outlined with intricate golden trim. Twin staircases lined by neatly trimmed hedges flanked a tiered waterfall, ending in a spectacular lighted fountain display. The sliding glass doors in front of the trio were practically glowing with light from within.

Juli gulped. A luxury hotel was not exactly the proper stomping ground for three ex-mafia rats. They were going to stick out like a sore thumb, not to mention the fact that it was currently late at night, so the lobby was probably empty—in other words, there would be no crowds present to hide their shenanigans.

“Sooo, should we try to find a back door or something?” Juli ventured.

“Hmm.” Peter seemed lost in thought, which was unusual for him. “Karyme, how many people are in the lobby?”

Two, Karyme replied, her voice resonating in Juli’s head. None of the service entrances are street-facing, though. And before you ask, that’s all I can tell from here.

“Two people,” Dani repeated. “The three of us could probably take care of them.”

Juli balked. “You wanna fight innocent people in the lobby of a fancy hotel?”

“As fun as that would be, I have a better idea,” Peter interjected. “There should be staff entrances on the other side of the building. I can float us in the air. I dunno if I can float us for long enough to fly over a building, but…” He looked at Dani, a sparkle in his eye. “Dani, do your shields count as material objects?”

Dani frowned. “I’m… not sure. I just know that I can’t move a shield once it’s placed.” She materialized a small, translucent cube in the palm of her hand, then moved her hand away. Sure enough, the sage green box hovered in the air even without something to support it.

“You could make a staircase out of those things,” Juli mused. “That might attract a lot of attention though…”

“It would also give me a debilitating headache,” Dani groused.

“That wasn’t my idea,” Peter cut in. He flicked his wrist, and the cube obediently zoomed sideways. A dangerous grin spread across Peter’s face.

“Hey, Dani,” Peter said, his voice eerily calm. “You think you could make a platform big enough for the three of us to stand on?”

Juli matched Peter’s smile. They liked where this was going.

“Of course I can,” Dani replied, arms crossed. “Are you going to blow it up with flaming limes?”

“That was one time,” Peter pouted. “And that was 50% Juli’s fault!”

“You’re the one who threw a can of gasoline through!” Juli argued.

“Kids,” Dani said tightly. “It really doesn’t matter.” Dani waved a hand through the air, and a flat disc of sage green light materialized at the trio’s feet. Peter knelt down and placed his hands on the disc, and Juli and Dani followed his lead.

“Is anyone afraid of heights?” Peter asked innocently.

“Um, I’ve never flown before…?” Juli said hesitantly.

As soon as the words left Juli’s mouth, they knew they’d made a mistake. The air left Juli’s lungs all at once as the disc went shooting into the sky at absolutely inhuman speeds. The surrounding imagery became a blur, and eventually the rushing air forced Juli’s eyes shut. Wind roared past Juli’s ears, mixed with Peter’s nefarious laughter and the distant crash of the ocean against the shore.

Juli had never been to an amusement park before, but they imagined that this was what riding a rollercoaster felt like.

Juli was almost a little disappointed when the disc floated to a stop on the other side of the hotel. That disappointment was quickly superseded by awe at their surroundings. A large, tiered swimming pool extended before them, angled in such a way as to seem continuous with the ocean on the horizon. Beams of colored light shone up from beneath the water, and at the far end of the pool was a floating bar.

“You,” Dani gasped, glaring at Peter, “are a bastard.”

“Thanks!” Peter said cheerfully. He gestured towards the lobby behind them. “The soul fragment is in there.”

Juli narrowed their eyes, squinting to see anything in the dark. Peter had at least had the sense to land the platform in the shadows, out of view of any security cameras, but that also made it hard to see anything. There were evenly spaced lights scattered among the hedges, illuminating the building from the ground up, but there weren’t exactly signs pointing to the staff entrances.

To your left, Karyme supplied.

I see it, Dani replied. Thanks, Karyme.

None of the three of them were strangers to skulking around in the dark. They were easily able to make their way to the staff entrance without alerting anyone to their presence, and Peter then tricked the keycard lock into letting them through. Once inside, Peter’s glowing orange bracelet served as both a source of light and a guide through the labyrinthine halls, which led them…

…right back to the lobby.

A spiraling crystalline chandelier dangled from the ceiling in the center of the space, shedding light on a small porcelain fountain. On the opposite side of the room, plush sofas and armchairs were arranged around low wooden coffee tables laden with magazines and fake floral arrangements. The staff entrance was nestled at the bottom of a staircase, across from the pool doors.

As Karyme had said, there were only two people in the lobby at this late hour, and both were standing behind the bellhop counters. Neither of them had noticed the trio, but with the bright lighting in the space, it was only a matter of time.

I told you we should have just forced our way in, Dani groused.

Whatever, Juli said crossly. Where’s the soul fragment, Peter?

Up there. Peter gestured towards the chandelier. Sure enough, there was an orange glint among the intricate arrangement of glass jewels. Juli grimaced.

What’s the range on your telekinesis, Peter? Dani asked.

Long enough for me to do this! Peter wiggled his fingers and a ding echoed through the lobby as the bell on the counter rang once, then again for good measure. The bellhops exchanged glances. And then, a slam sounded as Peter shut a set of double doors on the opposite side of the lobby with a flick of his wrist.

Having fun? Dani said wryly.

You know it, Peter replied, grinning.

Before the two bellhops could investigate further, Peter started levitating the pens and clipboards at the counter, and he even sent a few flower vases flying for good measure. Amidst the commotion, neither of the hotel employees noticed the small orange sphere floating down from the chandelier and into the staff corridor.

Careful, Karyme warned. When you touch that, you’re going to get a vision. Or at least, that’s what happened to the other group.

“Well, that’s great,” Juli muttered. “Nothing’s ever easy with you, is it, Haku.”

Peter reached for the marble.

~.~

Nine-year-old Haku was cornered, and they knew it. Their head swung from side to side, looking for an exit amid the towers of hay and baskets of farming supplies. The shadows of the boy’s assailants—three hulking beasts with sleek black skin, swirling red tattoos curling around their gangly limbs, thick tentacles emerging from their narrow skulls—blotted out the small pool of light from the narrow window above the door.

Haku’s eyes flitted nervously between the gleaming teeth of the monsters before them and the silhouette of their wooden practice sword, which was strewn across the room. The orange flames shrouding their scrawny figure flickered dangerously close to the shadow beasts’ outstretched claws, keeping the yelping monsters at bay, holding an impasse—for now. Each second, the shadow beasts dared to step slightly closer.

Haku was out of plans, out of options. Their head throbbed, their pulse pounding against their temples, their hairline laced with sweat. Their breath came in shallow gasps, their body trembling with the effort of keeping the flames alive. Their eyes traced a path from the wall behind them to the unstable pile of baskets to their left to the cracked work table behind the monsters to their sword.

Perhaps, if they were in better condition, they could make that jump, could take sword in aching hand, could drag the fight on for another hour. Perhaps, if they stalled for long enough, Jinal would come to save them. A searing pain shot through Haku’s left leg—a reminder of their wounds—and they nearly fell to their knees.

And then, the precarious stalemate was broken. A shadow beast’s claw glinted inches from Haku’s face, and in that moment, the flames cloaking Haku’s fingertips faltered. Fear stabbed at the child’s heart, and that was all it took for Haku’s protective aura to fizzle out. As the claw dug into Haku’s flesh, a scream tore past their lips.

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts—

In that moment, something primal, something visceral, broke free.

A wave of energy pulsed outwards from Haku’s core, knocking the shadow beasts backwards. Tongues of orange and black fire curled around the child’s limbs, and when their eyes flew open, their irises were masked over by orange light. Haku extended their palms, and their fiery shroud flared even brighter, sending out another wave of energy. This time, the shadow beasts disintegrated in a shower of golden dust.

If the story had ended there, perhaps things would have been okay. The threat was gone, and though Haku was still bleeding, surely they could at least limp to safety.

But Haku was no longer in control.

Jinal burst through the shed door just in time to see nine-year-old Haku explode into a ball of orange and black, setting everything around them aflame. Towers of baskets toppled over, sending their contents askew, and before Jinal could take another step, a shelf crashed down in front of her, blocking the entire rest of the shed from view.

“HAKU!” Jinal yelled. “Haku, please!”

No response.

Jinal cursed. She could probably still reach Haku if she made a run for it. Her hydrokinesis wouldn’t do much against soul fire, but she could improvise. No, getting to Haku wasn’t the problem. It was just… even now, Jinal could sense the life force leaching from Haku’s crumpled form, feeding the flames.

By the time Jinal got over there, Haku would probably be dead.

Jinal ripped a strip of cloth from one of the sleeves of her tunic and summoned enough water to her fingertips to dampen the cloth. Then, with the wet rag covering her mouth and nose, Jinal advanced. The air was thick with smoke now, and Jinal’s lungs burned with every breath, but she wasn’t too bothered—any injuries she incurred would heal themselves with time.

First, to get rid of the shelf in her way. Jinal extended her free hand, then closed her fingers into a fist. Blue light enveloped the toppled shelf, turning it to dust in mere seconds. Jinal sprinted forward before anything else could fall into her path, and before long, she was sliding to a stop next to the body of her one and only student.

She was too late.

Haku’s fingers and toes had already turned to ash, and Jinal watched with horror as Haku’s arms started to disintegrate, too, eaten up by some unseen force. It seemed that the sheer power of Haku’s cursed soul had erupted all at once, and the backlash was disintegrating Haku from the inside out. Cracks snaked across Haku’s skin, and from those fissures, orange light poured forth, swallowing Haku whole.

All Jinal could do was watch.

~.~

Air came in shallow gasps for Juli as the vision faded. They could still feel the searing heat across their skin—no, Haku’s skin—as the flames disintegrated the child. Juli squeezed their eyes shut, trying to regain focus, but that made it worse, because suddenly Juli was back in Dimension X, fighting their shadow clone, and then the clone’s fire was spreading across Juli’s chest, wrapping around their arms, entering their lungs, eating them away piece by piece—

Juli, Dani said firmly. Juli, snap out of it.

Juli startled out of their reverie as a hand landed on their shoulder. With each shuddering breath, the world slowly came into focus around Juli, and they realized that Dani and Peter were both staring at them—Dani with concern, and Peter with a knowing look. Juli wasn’t sure which was more mortifying.

R-right! Juli said quickly. Let’s go, then!

It was horrifying, learning that the immortals’ power could kill them from the inside out. And Haku—they’d been nine when they’d died for the first time. Juli didn’t like Haku, but something about that didn’t sit right.

As Juli cracked the teleportation crystal in their palm, they decided to give Haku a hug the next time they saw the immortal.

~.~

Morgan had always felt comfortable around water, but this was just ridiculous. As soon as Joshua, Lian, and Morgan had teleported to the next location, they’d ended up in freefall over a lake. Joshua’s reflexes and wings had been enough to save him from getting wet, but Lian and Morgan were not so lucky—the pair had landed in the water.

At least the scenery was pretty. A starry sky stretched out over the inky darkness of the lake. In the distance, on the horizon, a cluster of lights–no, buildings—floated on the surface of the water. A solitary tiered dome-like structure with a pointed top sat in the middle of the lake, but Morgan couldn’t tell what it was from here. The air was balmy, a bit humid, but not as hot as Morgan had expected Myanmar to be.

Morgan had always wanted to travel the world, so maybe this trip was a blessing in disguise. A very wet, very soggy blessing with far too many mosquitos involved.

“Carry me?” Lian asked, pouting up at Joshua. The winged man was hovering inches off of the water, scanning the surface of the lake.

“No,” Joshua said thinly. “Once was enough.”

Morgan sighed and turned away from the lovebirds. Well, okay, Morgan had never seen Joshua and Lian flirt, or anything, but they suspected that the duo was heading in that direction. Maybe. Morgan was not exactly a love doctor.

A splashing sound snapped Morgan out of their thoughts. Morgan frowned. Though it was dark outside, they could faintly make out a large, serpentine shadow moving beneath the water. A row of spined fins broke the surface of the lake, sending a chill up Morgan’s spine. Judging from the size of those fins, this sea creature was easily at least thirty feet long.

If you’d told Morgan a month ago that sea serpents were real, they would have simply laughed, but after fighting literal beasts made of shadow for a couple of days, Morgan knew better. This thing was dangerous.

“Carry me?” Lian repeated, their voice weak. Cursing under his breath, Joshua swooped down and grabbed Lian under the arms, hoisting them into the air… which left Morgan still swimming in the lake, directly in this creature’s path.

“Lian and I will distract that thing,” Joshua shouted. “You go for the marble!”

“What?” Morgan yelled back. “I don’t even know where the marble is! You’re the one with the stupid bracelet!”

As if in response to Morgan’s statement, a pillar of forest green light shot up into the sky from maybe a few hundred feet away. Morgan groaned. That took care of that, then. Time to test her endurance. She dove under the surface of the water and began to swim like her life depended on it.

By some stroke of luck, Lian and Joshua were able to hold the attention of the sea serpent long enough for Morgan to reach the light source—or, at least, that was what Morgan assumed was going on behind her, based on the alternating screeches and splashes. As soon as Morgan reached the correct spot, the column of light faded, leaving only a faint green glow from the bottom of the lake.

Gasping for air, muscles aching, Morgan squinted at the surface of the water with a frown. The soul fragment seemed to be deep underwater, and Morgan wasn’t necessarily the best swimmer. Not only that—she could barely see where she was going. But what other choice did she have?

Morgan took one last deep breath, then plunged into the water headfirst with only the faint green glow to guide her. Even though her legs were kicking with all the force she could muster, it felt like Morgan wasn’t making any progress. If anything, the weight of their long red braid and their soaked leather jacket was holding them back. Morgan’s lungs were already aching for air, and they weren’t even halfway down. They weren’t going to make it.

And then the bead on Morgan’s bracelet flared with sky blue light, and suddenly it felt like the water was flowing out of Morgan’s way as she swam. Inexplicably, Morgan took a deep breath in, and air entered their lungs instead of water. The green glow from the bottom of the lake intensified, lighting the water enough that Morgan could see tangled plant roots and curved rock formations with startling clarity. Fuck, this was cool.

As Morgan reached the bottom of the lake, the green soul fragment and the blue soul core seemed to resonate with one another, drawing Morgan closer. Overhead, even through the layers and layers of water, Morgan could hear Lian’s screeches growing increasingly desperate. Morgan steeled her nerves, preparing for another vision—and then she reached out, and her fingers brushed against the green marble.

~.~

Every time Kai’s bare feet touched the tile floor, a chill ran down his spine. “Cold” was not usually a word associated with the muggy climate of Myanmar, but somehow, the interior of the floating pagoda was unnaturally chilly. It was late at night, so the place should have been deserted, yet a single silver flame pierced the darkness up ahead, floating before the altar.

Anger bloomed in Kai’s chest as he laid eyes on the purveyor of the flame: one Maximillian Zakharanda, leader of the Soul Stealers. For years, Kai had been holding out hope that The Necromancer would end the charade and come back to the Ennead, but yesterday had extinguished that hope, replacing it with nothing but cold, twisted fury.

Kai took a slow, deep breath.

And then, before The Necromancer could react, Kai propelled himself forward on twin jets of air and slammed the younger immortal into the wall, pinning him in place. Despite the fact that his face had just smashed a small crater in the wall, The Necromancer laughed.

“Please, Kai, didn’t they teach you that it’s sacrilege to kill someone in a pagoda?”

“Buddhism wasn’t prominent when I was growing up,” Kai growled.

He has a point, though, Kai’s soul splinter offered. It’s probably disrespectful to shed blood here.

With a frustrated yell, Kai relented. He grabbed The Necromancer by the throat and burst out of the doors of the pagoda, and he didn’t stop until the two of them were hovering over the middle of the lake, forty feet above the water.

“How dare you use Jinal’s corpse like that,” Kai roared, holding The Necromancer over the water. “People died because of what you did. Jinal—she would never—”

“It’s not my fault the nine of you have chosen to sit on your powers and ignore the monstrous things you’re capable of,” The Necromancer said with a shrug. “Besides, it wouldn’t be the first time Jinal caused a disastrous, history-changing flood.”

Kai’s eyes flared green in warning. The Necromancer chuckled.

“What are you going to do, Kai? Kill me, so I can come back next month and terrorize you some more?” he gloated. “You don’t even have it in you to—”

The Necromancer’s voice cut out abruptly as Kai let go. For a second, The Necromancer was free falling. Then, Kai extended his hands, wrists touching, and a column of rapidly spinning air trapped The Necromancer, creating a vacuum of sorts around the immortal.

A flicker of fear shone in The Necromancer’s eyes, but Kai hardly took notice. The older immortal’s face was rigid with anger, his eyes now fully masked by forest green light. As tongues of black and green flame wrapped around Kai’s arms, The Necromancer’s lips began to purple.

“Wait!” The Necromancer gasped. “Don’t—”

“I’m done waiting.”

With a flick of his wrist, Kai dragged all of the air out of The Necromancer’s lungs, and he was almost happy as he watched The Necromancer’s flailing form burst into silver and black flames.

~.~

Morgan broke the surface, gasping for air, their head still reeling from what they’d seen. In the week Morgan had spent training with Mateen and Minerva, Morgan hadn’t seen Kai around very much except for during meals. The man seemed to always be in the kitchen, cooking something or the other, and he exuded an aura of calm and patience. Perhaps that was why the vision had taken Morgan so off-guard; Kai didn’t seem the type to lose his temper.

Or maybe… it was because Kai’s feral rage in that moment was so similar to Morgan’s own.

Nope. Morgan wasn’t going to think about that right now, not while treading water in a murky lake halfway across the world, and certainly not while a sea serpent was involved.

Let’s head back before the sea serpent gets us, Morgan grumbled. They half expected Joshua to retort with some sort of scathing remark about how Morgan hadn’t helped at all in the fight. Instead, Joshua almost seemed dazed in his reply.

Yeah. Let’s go.

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