Xavier turned toward Luther, blood still dripping from the blade in his hand, and spoke in a calm voice that didn’t match the carnage around them.
"I’ve already dealt with the elders and the council mbers who actually mattered," he said. "There’s no throne left tying you down now. No laws pretending to own you. You’re free, whether you like it or not."
He added that whatever chains Luther had worn until now were gone, and that this ss had effectively freed him.
Luther didn’t answer right away. His gaze stayed on the bodies, on the severed remains of power structures that had ruled vampires for centuries. His silence said enough.
Xavier shifted his attention to Lucian. "And the sa goes for you," he added. "Luther just freed you from Blackwood. No board. No bloodline leash. You can live however the hell you want now."
Lucian let out a sharp laugh that sounded close to breaking. "You don’t get it," he snapped, voice rising as the people around them froze in place. "It doesn’t work like that. The Blackwood na doesn’t disappear because you feel like it should. It’s a legacy. It’s power. You need money, influence, strength—real strength—to stand above everyone else. That’s how you stop begging, how you stop bowing, how you make sure no one can ever touch you again. Money is the only thing that matters."
Xavier chuckled. "You had all of that," he said. "Every damn thing people dream about. And it still couldn’t bring your wife back."
Lucian stiffened, his grip tightening on the sword in his hand.
"I’m not saying you’re wrong about power," Xavier continued, voice steady. "I’m saying everyone defines it differently. You chase money so you don’t feel helpless. I don’t care about ideals, morals, or legacies. I do what I want. That’s it."
He t Lucian’s eyes without flinching. "And if after all this you still want revenge, if you still want to fight , then fine. I’m right here. We can have another duel whenever you’re ready."
Xavier glanced back at Luther, then tilted his head slightly toward Lucian. "Take care of your best friend," he said. "Both of you are in the sa boat now. No chains. No titles. No one pulling strings from above. Now, whether you choose to float endlessly in that sea or reach a shore, that’s up to you."
Luther finally moved. He reached out, wrapped his hand around Lucian’s wrist, and pulled him close with a force that made it clear this wasn’t a request. Before turning away, he looked straight at Xavier.
"You tear down cages," Luther said quietly. "But freedom isn’t a gift. It’s a burden. You wouldn’t understand it until you face a situation where all your power will be rendered useless."
Xavier snorted. "You can debate philosophy later," he replied. "There are still dozens of charges planted through this tower. Tirs are staggered. You don’t want to be here when the rest wake up."
He shifted his gaze to Lucian, who still looked stunned, eyes unfocused. "And don’t worry," Xavier added flatly. "Any place I see the Blackwood na still standing, I’ll make sure it burns."
Luther tightened his grip on Lucian and dragged him toward the corridor, moving fast now. Lucian stumbled once, then followed, too shaken to say a word as they disappeared with the remaining survivors.
Rin exhaled hard and finally broke the silence. "We should leave too," he said, scanning the cracked ceiling and flickering ergency lights. "Those explosives aren’t exactly on our side."
Xavier rubbed the back of his neck and let out a tired breath. "Yeah. Problem is, the main evacuation routes are done. Power relays are fried, blast doors are locked in fail-secure, and the ergency lifts collapsed when Lucas went berserk. By the ti they reach the secondary evac point, the mid-level charges will already go off."
Rin frowned. "So we’re trapped?"
"Not exactly," Xavier said. "Angel showed another exit on the blueprint. Old maintenance shaft tied to a cargo rail, off the records. I don’t know if it’s still intact after all this chaos, but it’s our best shot."
He turned and started moving without waiting for agreent. "If it’s gone, we improvise. Standing here isn’t an option."
The corridor buckled the mont they turned the corner. Concrete split under their feet, ceiling panels tore loose, and a shockwave rolled through the floor hard enough to knock the breath out of Rin’s lungs. Xavier caught him by the collar, yanked him forward, and kept running as fire licked down the hall behind them.
Another blast went off sowhere below. The tower groaned, tal screaming as supports failed. Xavier vaulted a fallen beam, planted a foot on the wall, and flipped over a gap that had opened straight into darkness. Rin followed a heartbeat later, boots scraping as debris rained past them.
"You really went all out with the fireworks," Xavier said over the alarms, shoving a chunk of concrete aside with a snap of telekinesis. It flew down the hall and smashed through a collapsing railing. "How many bombs did you plant, exactly?"
Rin didn’t slow. "Enough to make sure nobody stayed comfortable," he shot back. "I assud you had an exit planned that didn’t involve outrunning half a building."
Xavier barked a laugh as another detonation punched the air behind them. "I did," he said. "Just didn’t account for Lucas turning into so knockoff god and tearing through floors like paper."
They hit a stairwell that was half gone, took it in three long strides, and jumped. Xavier caught Rin mid-air with telekinesis, swung him forward, then landed hard himself as the stairwell collapsed seconds later.
They burst onto a mid-level floor choked with smoke and ergency lights. The signs flickered, arrows pointing nowhere useful. Xavier scanned fast, then veered left. "Elevators should be here," he said. "If anything’s still alive, it’ll be these."
They skidded to a stop in front of the elevator bank just as the floor shook again. Dust poured from the seams. For a mont, nothing happened. Then a soft chi cut through the chaos.
The doors slid open. And... Commander Althea Ravel stepped out.
She was fully geared, armored vest locked in place, sidearm drawn but lowered the mont she saw Xavier. Her eyes flicked to Rin, then back to Xavier, sharp and assessing. "You two look like hell," she said. "I was starting to think I’d missed you."
"Sadly, I can’t say the sa thing to you."
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