Kage’s POV

  The night air was thick with the scent of sweat, blood, and magic as we ran. The freed magicals moved as one, their ragged breaths and pounding footsteps blending into a single force of will. We weren’t just escaping—we were taking back our freedom.

  But the battle wasn’t over yet.

  As we neared the outer gate, a line of armored guards blocked our path. More than we had faced inside—twice as many, at least. Some carried swords and shields, others had crossbows aimed directly at us. They had regrouped, forming a wall between us and the forest beyond.

  For a split second, the momentum of our escape faltered. The magicals behind me slowed, uncertainty rippling through the crowd. We had fought to get this far. We weren’t stopping now.

  I turned, scanning their faces—some still weak, others burning with fury. “This is it! One last push! We fight together, and we win together!”

  The hesitation broke. A murmur spread through the crowd, then a surge of resolve.

  Then, a voice rang out. “We do this now! We end this now!”

  A man stepped forward, his presence commanding. His face was gaunt, his eyes sharp with purpose. Power hummed around him, crackling in the air like a brewing storm. He had been one of the imprisoned, yet he held himself like a warrior.

  He turned to the others. “We’ve been caged like animals, but no more! We are not weak! We are not broken!” He raised his hand, magic pulsing from his fingertips. “We fight—and we take our lives back!”

  A roar erupted from the freed magicals, their spirits ignited by his words. The hesitation was gone. Now, there was only fire.

  I heard a sharp intake of breath. Naja stirred in my arms, blinking awake. “What’s happening?”

  “Final push,” I said. “We’re almost out.”

  She groaned, trying to move. “Put me down. I can help.”

  I hesitated, then gently set her on her feet. She swayed for a moment but quickly regained her footing, determination hardening her features. Without another word, she rushed toward the magicals who were still too weak to fight, guiding them to the back of the group. “Stay behind us! Keep moving!”

  Zara moved with her, slamming her staff into the ground. The earth trembled, and another wave of skeletons clawed their way to the surface. They formed a protective line in front of Naja and the weaker magicals, their hollow sockets glowing with eerie green light.

  “No one touches them!” Zara commanded, her voice ringing out. The skeletons rattled in response, taking their stance.

  At the front, I rolled my shoulders, gripping my blades tighter. “Doran, you ready?”

  Doran cracked his neck, swinging his axe. “Thought you’d never ask.”

  Beside us, the powerful magical from the prison stepped forward, his magic swirling around him, raw and unshackled. He met my gaze, nodding once. “Let’s end this.”

  “Let’s go,” I growled.

  And then we charged.

  The battlefield erupted in chaos. Fire blossomed from the hands of a freed magical, roaring forward in a spiraling inferno that engulfed the front line of guards, forcing them to scatter. A woman beside him extended her arms, frost spreading from her fingertips, coating the ground in a slick layer of ice, sending guards slipping and crashing to the ground.

  Lightning crackled through the air as the magical who had stepped up as a leader raised his hands. His magic pulsed, the charge snapping between his fingers before he sent a bolt streaking forward. It struck behind a group of guards, sending them convulsing to the ground, their armor sparking as they collapsed.

  A young magical with sharp, focused eyes thrust her hands outward, and suddenly there were three of her, identical copies moving in perfect unison, confusing the guards as they swung at illusions instead of flesh. Another magical lifted his arms, the wind answering his call, whipping into a violent gust that sent debris and soldiers flying backward.

  The ground beneath us trembled. One of the magicals slammed his fists into the earth, and the very stone cracked and surged upward, jagged rocks jutting from the ground, forming a protective barrier between us and the guards still firing their crossbows. The barricade provided just enough cover for the rest of the freed magicals to push forward.

  Malrick fought beside them, his magic a deadly force. He no longer hesitated—he struck with precision, pulling blood from the wounds of the fallen and using it to form jagged weapons mid-air, striking down those who dared stand in our way. His veins pulsed with power, his eyes alight with purpose.

  I moved through the battlefield like a shadow, my magic swirling around me like a living entity. The darkness obeyed my call, stretching and coiling, forming tendrils that lashed out at the guards who dared to get too close. One man swung at me, and I vanished before his blade could connect, reappearing behind him. My dagger was at his throat before he even realized what had happened. With a flick of my wrist, the shadows yanked him back into the chaos, his weapon clattering to the ground.

  All around me, the battlefield burned with raw magic. Fire and ice crashed against steel, wind tore through the lines of guards, and lightning split the sky as the freed magicals fought with everything they had left.

  I saw Zara at the center of it all, her skeletons forming a protective wall around Naja and the weaker magicals. Doran’s axe cleaved through the ranks of enemies like they were nothing, and Malrick stood among the other magicals, his blood magic weaving through the fight with deadly precision.

  This was it. One last push.

  Malrick’s POV

  I moved with the others, my magic thrumming in my veins, my control sharper than ever. I no longer hesitated—I couldn’t. Every strike had to count, every attack had to be precise. I pulled blood from the wounds of fallen guards, shaping them into deadly spikes and sending them forward. I could feel the weight of my power, the immense force of what I could do, but I kept it measured. I wouldn’t kill unless I had to.

  Then, amid the chaos, I saw her.

  A girl about my age, fighting off a guard with nothing but sheer willpower. Her stance was strong, her movements confident, but she was outnumbered. A second guard lunged at her from behind, and before I could think, I reacted.

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  I flicked my wrist, pulling a thin stream of blood from my fingertips and sending it forward. It lashed out like a whip, wrapping around the second guard’s wrist and yanking him back before his blade could reach her. The moment he was off balance, she turned and sent a sonic blast straight into his chest. The guard flew back, crashing against the stone wall and slumping motionless to the ground.

  She turned to me, her breath coming fast, but her eyes weren’t filled with fear. She wasn’t afraid of me.

  “Nice save,” she said, her voice steady despite the chaos.

  I swallowed hard, nodding. “You held your own.”

  A small smirk tugged at her lips. “Yeah, well, I wasn’t planning on dying today. You?”

  I exhaled, the tension in my chest loosening just slightly. “Not today.”

  Another wave of guards rushed toward us, and she shifted back into position, her hands glowing as sound waves vibrated in the air around her. “Think you can keep up, blood mage?”

  I felt a rare grin pull at my lips. “Let’s find out.”

  And then we fought, side by side.

  Zara’s POV

  I stood back, my line of skeletons forming a shield between the still-recovering magicals and the battle raging ahead. The night was alive with fire, ice, and raw energy—magic unleashed with purpose, with hope.

  The magicals we had freed weren’t just running anymore—they were fighting. Their faces, once hollow and afraid, were now filled with fury and determination. Some were still weak, barely able to stand, but they helped however they could—pulling their fellow captives to safety, shielding them from stray attacks, clutching onto each other as they moved toward freedom.

  Naja stood beside me, barely holding herself up, but still pushing forward. Her hands still glowed faintly, her silver light flickering like a candle in the wind. But her voice was steady, urging the magicals on, offering encouragement and strength where her magic could no longer reach.

  I watched as the battlefield shifted in our favor. For the first time, I saw magicals fighting together, truly together. No more hiding. No more running. They had been caged, broken, but they were still here. They were strong.

  And I knew, no matter what happened next, nothing would ever be the same again.

  Doran’s POV

  I never thought I’d be in the middle of a battle like this, let alone fighting alongside so many magicals. But here I was, swinging my axe through the chaos, standing shoulder to shoulder with the people I had once been told to fear.

  And I had never felt more alive.

  The battlefield was a storm of magic and steel. Flames roared, ice cracked against stone, and lightning lit up the night sky. Magical forces I didn’t even understand surged around me, but I didn’t hesitate. I fought with them, not against them.

  A magical near me, a woman with glowing blue eyes, let out a sharp cry, summoning a wall of shimmering energy to shield a group of wounded fighters. Another, barely more than a kid, launched bursts of electricity from his palms, striking down the guards trying to flank us.

  And then there was Kage, a shadow in the storm, moving like death itself, cutting down guards before they even knew he was there. Zara stood her ground behind us, her skeletons forming an impenetrable defense, while Malrick fought with deadly precision, blood magic lashing out in sharp, controlled strikes.

  I turned just in time to see Naja, still barely standing, ushering more injured magicals behind Zara’s skeletons. Even exhausted and drained of magic, she refused to stop.

  I gritted my teeth and swung my axe, driving another guard to the ground. I wasn’t magical. I couldn’t summon fire or command shadows, but I could hold the line.

  And that was exactly what I was going to do.

  Kage’s POV

  I watched the battle unfold, and as the last of the guards fell, a victorious cheer erupted from the magicals. The sound echoed through the night, not just one of relief but of defiance.

  An earthbender stepped forward, his face grim with determination. He raised his fist and drove it into the outer wall with a thunderous crack. Stone shattered and crumbled, leaving a gaping hole leading out into the open night.

  Before the rush to escape began, I stepped forward, raising a hand. “Wait! The wounded still need our help. We’re all making it out of here—together.”

  The magicals turned, listening. Then, suddenly, the girl Malrick had saved ran up to me, her breath still heavy from battle. She placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch steady, confident. “I can amplify your voice,” she said, her tone unwavering. “They will all hear you now.”

  A strange vibration pulsed through my chest as her magic wove into my words, giving them weight.

  “We’re not done yet!” I called out, my voice carrying across the battlefield, clear as a bell. “Help the wounded, gather the fallen! We are headed to the university—there, we regroup, we recover, and we prepare for what comes next!”

  A murmur of agreement ran through the crowd, turning into nods, then movement. Some of the stronger magicals lifted those who could not walk, others helped the injured limp toward the exit.

  We had won the battle. Now, we had to survive the war.

  The walk back to the city was long and grueling. Many of the magicals leaned on one another for support, their bodies weakened from the fight and the drugs that had kept them imprisoned. Naja had pushed herself too far, barely keeping on her feet, but still she refused to let anyone carry her. I could see the exhaustion in her eyes, the weight of all the healing she had done pulling at her limbs.

  Malrick did what he could to close wounds, using careful precision to stop bleeding without draining himself too much. The others who still had strength offered their own magic, helping where they could, but most of them were just tired.

  We had won, but victory didn’t erase the pain of what had been done to them.

  As we neared the outskirts of the city, I pulled out my communicator, flipping it open. “Detective Hall, Councilor Marek,” I said, my voice steady but urgent. “Meet us at the university. We need to talk.”

  Zara’s POV

  The university was alive with movement the moment we arrived. The training rooms had become makeshift hospital wards, filled with freed magicals in various states of exhaustion and injury. I moved through the chaos, directing students and volunteers, making sure the worst cases got priority.

  When we first got here, I had immediately contacted the hospital, demanding they send doctors to both the university and the prison. The people who had imprisoned the magicals might have been our enemies, but they didn’t deserve to die from their wounds.

  Naja had collapsed almost the moment we arrived. Now, she lay on a bed, her chest rising and falling steadily, the weight of everything she had done finally catching up to her. Doran sat beside her, his axe resting against the wall, one arm draped over the back of the chair as he watched over her protectively. Malrick saw sitting in a corner with his eyes shut.

  I exhaled, finally allowing myself to breathe. We had made it.

  I turned, walking toward Kage just as Detective Hall and Councilor Marek stepped through the door, their faces unreadable.

  Hall’s sharp eyes flicked around the room, taking in the exhausted magicals, the makeshift hospital, the dried blood staining more than a few of our clothes. “What the hell happened?” he asked, though I could already hear the answer forming in his head.

  Kage didn’t hesitate. “We raided a prison. One where magicals were being held, drugged, and stripped of their abilities.”

  Marek’s face tightened. “And you have proof of this?”

  Without a word, Kage pulled the crumpled papers from his coat and handed them to her. “Orders, signed by Dain himself. This isn’t just speculation. This is his doing.”

  Marek took the documents, scanning them quickly, her expression unreadable. Hall, meanwhile, let out a slow breath, rubbing his temple. “You realize what you’ve done, right?”

  “Saved lives,” I answered before Kage could. “And exposed the truth.”

  Hall shook his head. “You also just put targets on your backs. Dain won’t take this lightly.”

  Kage folded his arms. “He doesn’t have a choice. The moment these people start talking, the city will know the truth. We need the council to act, and we need them to do it now.”

  Marek met his gaze, then nodded. “We’re not waiting for the morning. We’re holding a press conference now. The entire city needs to know about this before Dain has a chance to twist the story in his favor.”

  Hall frowned. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? We need to be careful how we present this—”

  “No, we need to be loud,” Marek cut in sharply. “The Sovereign Order has worked in the shadows for too long. We shine a light on this tonight, and we put Dain on the defensive.”

  She turned to Kage and me, her expression unwavering. “Get cleaned up. You’re coming with me. This isn’t just a report. This is a war, and we’re making the first move.”