There was a bone-jarring impact. My skull collided against the sidewalk as the Lithid tackled me to the ground. It outweighed me significantly, and as my lungs compressed, it became nearly impossible to breathe.

Strong arms grabbed me and began to yank.

It's trying to get us both out of the way.

I locked an arm around its neck and kicked its knees out from under it, forcing it into a grapple. I was slower than normal because of the poison of clouded judgement, but that worked to my advantage. The lithid reacted to my intentions rather than my actions, and I was able to secure it in a clinch.

Its body juddered violently twice as two of the arrows pierced its upper back. I shouted in pain as the third pierced my forearm.

The lithid roared, its version of my mouth opening inhumanly wide as it shrieked.

That’s the second dose of the same poison. If I don’t get another round of antidote soon, this is over.

My survival instinct kicked into overdrive. I needed to do whatever I could to end this quickly.

I sunk my teeth into its throat. Bilious liquid ran into my mouth and eyes as the lithid squirmed. A chunk of flesh came free, and I spit it out, blindly plunging my dagger into its side, over and over. It swatted at my wrist, and I felt something break.

All at once, it slumped, and I rolled over on top of it, both hands gripping its neck tightly even as pain radiated up my fractured forearm.

“Fucking. die. already.” I growled, shifting my grip and bearing down harder.

“Matt… it hurts.” Jinny said. She stared up at me with terrified eyes, hemorrhaging crimson from the wound in her neck. “You don’t have to do this. Anyone can change.”

My grip loosened for a fraction of a second.

Three spears of darkness pierced me. Subconsciously, I could feel the lithid attacking my mind. I tried to push it back. The street from my childhood was overtaken with the crimson flesh from region six. Jinny’s body was still there, lifeless on the ground, as Nick sat beside her, watching impassively as I struggled.

“Hey man. You have to know I’m probably donezo. I’m not you. Never been good at biding my time.” Nick rubbed his head sheepishly. “Probably did something stupid already, and it’s not like the suits would ever let that pass.”

“And even if he’s not, you have me to worry about.” Ellison walked in front of me, hands stuffed in his hoody. He studied me impassively as I writhed on the ground. “It wasn’t chance that I ended up with a special class that could also disguise itself. They’re going to use me against you. And sure, maybe you’ll win, but do you really want to deal with the aftermath of killing your brother?”

I felt the lithid’s grip on my mind grow tighter.

Miles crouched next to me, peering down. “Sure, you’re clever. And you’ve grown accustomed to being the big fish in a small pond. But we’re in the ocean now. I’m more experienced than you. Eventually, you’ll make a mistake. And I’ll be there waiting.”

Estrada rocked slowly, back and forth, in a rocking chair to my left. “You must know where this is going, Matthias. The bodycount from the first event was astronomical. They speak of correction, but their intent is clear: whittling us down until only the strongest remain.” She peered at me through her glasses. “And the list of people you mean to protect grows ever longer. Perhaps, it would be wise to stop while you are ahead. The task before you is impossible. You are alone. And you will always be alone.”

Next to Estrada, my father’s killer idly spun the revolver. He grinned at me, even as he leaked from a half-dozen stab wounds. “You know, I never planned to kill a cop. It just sort of happened. One day, I was fine. The next, boom.” He placed the gun on the scarlet ground, barrel pointed at the others. “Guess you can relate. It’s only a matter of time before you snap with someone innocent in the crosshairs.”

The last of the struggle faded from me, as I closed my eyes.

”No.” Another voice whispered, low and angry. ”You said it yourself. The enemy needs Nicholas. Even if he rebelled, they would not cull him so thoughtlessly. Who will save him, if you surrender now?”

“But… Ellison…” I whispered.

”You know neither his mission nor his intent. The wretch is preying on your fear, your tendency to assume the worst. He is an errant pup. Patience and understanding will bring him back to you.”

I barely heard her. It was as if the lithid had eroded my mental barriers entirely, and the weight of every burden crashing down on me at once.

A mental shock jolted me, kept me from being swallowed in the flood.

”Your responsibilities are many. That is true. I watched as you took them upon yourself, one after another. And if we were not here, in this crucible, you would not hesitate. Because that is who you are. That is your resolve. It is why I cannot bring myself to hate you, though there are many reasons I should.”

“And if I become a monster?”

“You offered me a choice, before we entered this accursed place. I have chosen. This is my vow. I will remain at your side until the end. And if, in that time, you lose to the darkness. I will stop you. Now fight!”

The hallucinations of my friends and enemies disappeared. I awoke to the clear blue sky—Talia standing over me protectively, and an exquisite pain as gray matter oozed out of my chest. There was a glowing red light in the center of the mass. I spit blood and stared at it, until I realized what was happening.

At some point in my unconscious state, I’d grabbed In its haste to overtake me, the lithid had shown me its back. The red mass was a weak spot.

I drove the knife home.

Then immediately fell back, curling up in agony as the gray matter boiled, retreating out of my body and reforming in the shape of a woman—the first form I’d seen it take, what felt like ages ago in the elevator.

“No, no, no. I’ve claimed you!” The lithid shouted in rage. Another dark spear lanced from its side towards my chest.

There was a blur of motion as Talia leapt in front of me, grunting as the lance struck her. She wobbled on her paws, unsettled but still standing. Her voice was a pained whisper, quiet and resolute. “He is mine, wretch. You will not take him from me.”

Another spear pierced Talia. I tried to stand, forcing my way to my hands and knees, struggling to stand.

“It’s funny. So fucking funny.” The lithid seethed. “Those memories you cherish so deeply? Of the pups that suckled on your teats in the dead of winter, as you all huddled in a cave for warmth? None of them are real. You’re just like me. A construct of mana that exists solely because this human drew breath. I wanted to reveal that, eventually, once I’d wrung you dry of every drop you had to give. As a parting gift. Those children you mourned were never real in the first place. They were always lifeless corpses in the snow.”

Talia roared. Her body exploded, awash in silver flame. The influx of heat was so intense I had to shield my face with my hands. When I lowered them, the spears of darkness were gone. And Talia had changed.

At first, I thought she’d reverted to her original form. She stood nearly a foot taller than before. The navy in her coat was gone, giving her stark resemblance to the winter wolf I’d fought on the fourth floor. Only, her eyes were golden instead of red. And the reflectiveness of her fur was different. It wasn’t white.

It was silver.

“You—“ The lithid started

Talia tackled it in the center of its dark, formless mass, driving it to the ground. White flames engulfed the lithid, and it shrieked in pain, squirming beneath Talia’s paws.

Talia spoke directly to the squirming mass. “It will be some time before I can hold my creator accountable for their cruelty. In the interim, I will settle for you.”

I winced as the flames consumed the lithid, and it writhed desperately. The display went on for a good minute, the lithid shrinking rapidly to the size of a beachball, before Talia stopped to regain her strength, exhausted and panting.

“Why…” Even the lithid’s voice sounded small. “I… needed the power… only wanted… to be free…”

“Even if they never existed. They were real to me.” Talia shouted, pressing down on the lithid and burning it around the edges.

“Talia.” I called to her weakly.

She spun towards me, an expression a rictus of grief and anger. “What.”

I tried to stand and fell back to one knee. “It’s your prey. Your prerogative. The lithid needs to die. That much is obvious. But I think, if our roles were reversed, you would advise a clean kill.”

Talia bared her teeth. For a moment, her fire burned brighter. Then her face relaxed, expression growing stoic. “Revenge is a distraction. We have to stay focused on the whole.”

“Yes.”

She turned her stoic gaze down on the lithid. She reached out with a paw, placing it on the center of the dark mass. “Be at peace.”

What was left of the lithid burned away in seconds.