Blood boiled underh his skin while the rage waiting within his mind begged to be unleashed. Yet, despite Leo's own anger and fear, he held it all back, only letting the first fmes of his bloodlust ignite. For what was about to happen, he needed all the help he could get.

  Ruthless Efficy: Ignite. He hissed as the skill spread through his body, mind, and soul.

  The Cloak of True Night left his Soul Well , once more drowning his form in darkness. True Stealth washed over his skin, finishing his cordon of prote. He might have no idea how well this oem and skill worked against Nightmares, but it would be stupid not to use them.

  Alright, it's now or never. He took a few calming breaths, his eyes never leaving the Nightmares waiting beyond the dome. Just wait for me. Please. Adam and Ava. Wait for me...

  Just as Leo was about to search for a pce where Nightmares wouldn't instantly jump him upo, a shout reached his ears.

  "Oi! Beasty! Where the fuck are you going!?"

  Growling, he threw the Fallen a gre. "Back. Tell Holden something is wrong with the old site. I'm going to check it out."

  "What? How the hell do you even..." Frank shook his head, following after him. "No, screw that. Are you bloody mental?! Don't you see what is waiting out there? You are strong, but those things will kill you before you eve halfway there!"

  Leo swallowed but didn't stop as his eyes sed the nd beyond the safe zohey could say whatever they wanted; his mind was already set. He had to risk it. He had to make sure Ava and Adam were still...

  Don't think about it. Just don't. He pushed those intrusive thoughts away, letting bloodlust swallow them whole. "I will be fihey are thirty pert weaker. I should be able to outrun them."

  "Should?" Frank ughed. "You're bloody mad, you know that, right? But fine, I know when I lost. A damn shame, but I respect it. Some things are worth risking your life for..." The man quietened and cpped his back. "Good luck, Hale."

  Leo nodded, pausing at the border's edge just behind the warehouse. He could only see a few Nightmares from this side. If he didn't mess up, he had a real ce of getting away without aig.

  "Thanks. I will see you all ter."

  The moment those words left his mouth, he dashed through the barrier, the safe zone's warmth leaving his body. He slipped into the alley and waved away the System's notification about Void Storm prote grao him by one of his traits. It didn't matter, not when the Nightmares posed a bigger dahan the weather.

  Without stopping, Reinfort surged through his veins, the power boost bining with Ruthless Efficy. For a brief moment, Leo wao add Limit Break into the mix, but he dismissed the thought. Arriving half-dead due to overuse of abilities wouldn't help anyone.

  Besides, I o save something for when those fuckers will finally notice me.

  For now, he stuck to back alleys ay buildings, slinking from one er to ahe howling of Nightmares and stant thrumming of thunder apanied his every move, pushing him to go faster and faster.

  More than once, his heart almost burst out of his chest when a Nightmare flew over his head. They hadn't noticed him yet, but all it would take was one wrong turn to ge that. Hell, with Scouters' enhanced senses, each sed of freedom could be his st...

  'Leo... I'm sorry. I 't get in. The barrier burns to,' Nyx's voitered his mind, her shame and disappoi painting their link. 'Five me.'

  Jumping behind a cover as two Collectors passed through the street, Leo gritted his teeth. It's... it's fine. You tried. That's all that matters... Did you hear anything else?

  'I... Yes,' the felitered. Echoes of muffled screams rang in his ears, only firming her words. 'This was the st of them. It's been silent ever since.'

  On one hand, no more screams should have been good news. However, sidering that something had caused them, their end could also mean the worst possible sario. He didn't even want to eain that thought. Not now, not ever.

  You did well. Leo swallowed, resuming his run. I will be there soon.

  'Please be careful," Nyx begged. 'There are so many of them...'

  I know, and I will.

  Another k of Essence fuelled the already active Reinfort, igniting his muscles with additional strength. Bloodlust and rage ing from Ruthless Efficy also burned brighter than before, the ignition slowly turning into a bze.

  Not yet. 't turn into a psyc- Fuck! Leo threw himself onto the ground as a gust of pressed air flew just an inch above his head. The projectile crashed against a wall, spttering ks of Vetilim all around.

  Shit. That would have hurt. He scowled, already on his feet once more. He didn't eveo look behind him to know what happehe new System message was enough.

  Pursuit in progress.

  Screeches and roars exploded all around him as the earth shook. He cursed and threw all caution in the air. With a swift jump, he cimed the wall, and with another, he nded on the broken roof. At least now, he could choose the path he liked the most...

  Goosebumps spreading over his skin, he rolled away from two more wind bullets. He broke into a sprint again, bounding towards the Vetilim vine. More pressed air rained upon him wherever he went, sometimes even obliterating his path into pieces.

  Not that Leo worried too much about that. At least not yet. The Scouters behind him were sure annoying, but they didn't attack directly. Somehow, they must have known that, at this point, they weren't a match for him in close quarters. Not with thirty pert of their strength missing.

  And it's not like they o attack me. Just stall and tihe pursuit. He grimaced, the roars of Collectors being louder and louder, be it behind or ahead of him.

  He risked a g the street below and hissed. Here they were. A group of muscled monstrosities following the call of their scouting party.

  And this was only the beginning.

  Leo gasped, dang away from yet another salvo of wind bullets. With the dozens upon dozens of the Scouters following him, he had taken to diving through any open doors and windows, hoping to catch a breath inside.

  Not that such a tactic alaid off. Often, a Collector or two decided to copy his as, thus cutting off his escape if the building turned out to be in worse shape than he had expected. He earned a few bruises for those mistakes, but at least he was still alive, somehow...

  Really? Again!?

  Leo growled as he jumped onto the Vetilim web. Up ahead, a group of Collectors, rger than others, climbed on the roof, once more blog his path. They had tried it once before, but he had mao slip through them. Only back then, there were two Nightmares waiting for him, not five.

  heless, he couldn't stop or turn around. Stoppi getting pulverized by dozens of wind bullets, and the other option didn't look much better. Running right into a swarm of Scouters seemed like a great idea. If he wao die of course...

  The same pretty much applied to the third option: jumping down onto the streets. There, instead of getting swarmed by the legless monkeys, he would get turned into a paste by the numerous Collectors and other Voidlings that joihe chase.

  Yeah, fuck that. I will take my ces here. Limit Break to full power.

  Pushing past his limits, Leo closed the distaween him and the roof within a sed. The first two Collectors swiped at him, their fists ing down to crush his head.

  With a slide, he dived underh them, not even thinking of attag back as anhtmare took its turn. The beast moved to grab him, but Leo twirled away, his tails spping the Collector to buy some time.

  Two more. He grinned, watg the remaining monsters move almost in slow motion. Their debuff and his multiple enhang abilities finally put them at equal standing. The Nightmares might still be stronger, but he was way faster.

  And in a race against time, speed was all that mattered.

  Or so Leo thought as he slipped past the Collectors, dug uheir swings. They tried to follow up with more attacks, but at this point, he was out of their reach again...

  Last straight. Lower Limit Break to one hundred pert.

  His heartbeat quicked even more as the golden sheen of a safe zone appeared in the dista was still there, still proteg those inside from the horrors of the night. Yet, somethi wrong; something caused those screams.

  Please let it be just some scared civilians. Please.

  Leo dropped to the ground, leaving the remnants of the urban jungle behind. A couple of Collectreeted him first with their earthshaking roars. But he dodged them, his speed still outmatg theirs.

  The same couldn't be said about the Scouters, who never paused their onsught. A single projectile finally slipped past his defensive instincts, almost drilling a hole in the same shoulder that had recovered from a simir fate not even a day ago.

  He hissed, the crag of bones filling his ears. He stumbled, but his bloodlust quickly ed the pain. It urged him to turn around and fight, to sughter those who dared to touch him.

  The sed and maybe evehird stage of Ruthless Efficy waited, ready to fan the fmes of his rage. And soon, the choice of holding back would be taken away from him. He could feel it.

  Not yet! Not now! Leo roared. I will die if I fight.

  'You won't,' the whispers of blood echoed in his mind.

  'We win.'

  'Sughter them all.'

  'Just let it go.'

  'Unleash us!'

  No! He snarled, falling to all fours and sprinting the rest of the way like the beast he had bee.

  He barrelled right into the backdoor he had used so many times before. The hinges held for a fra of a sed, only to burst opeing him into the old safe zoill gasping with eyes closed, he quickly pushed the bloodlust back, disabling Ruthless Efficy.

  Holy shit... I did it. I'm ali...

  His entire world came to a stop as Leo opened his eyes, enhanced vision drinking in the sight before him.

  Blood, so much blood spttered all over the pce. Some was already half dry, while fresh oill dripped from the few bodies scattered on the floor, puddles f underh them.

  One of the dead survivors stared right at him, dead eyes open wide in fear. Their sunken cheeks and boraining against the pale skin only added to the macabre. Yet, for Leo, those sig something much different.

  No...

  Jumping to his feet, he ran as fast as possible toward Adam's room. The door was wide open, painted red. Ae that, nothing could have prepared him for what was waiting inside.

  A single body y in the middle, blood flowing out of the multiple holes in its torso. He came closer, colpsing to his knees.

  Ava...

  Her short hair might have turned almost pletely grey. Her body might have lost all of its muscles and fat. However, it was still the woman he had known for years, now dead, o open her eyes again.

  'Leo...' Nyx muttered, but he cut the e instantly.

  Fists ched, Leo rose slowly, sweeping his gaze over the far-off side of the room. The mattresses that oood there were almost gone, now covered in a dark, slimy substahat painted everything bck. It still bubbled every few seds, giving him a perfect reminder of where he had seen it before.

  He growled even as a loear slipped down his face.

  Adam... Why...

  Chaos65