Control

Chapter 23: Control

Kai's hands trembled as he pulled Zane's limp body across the jagged metal plates of the collapsing maze. Each movement sent a sharp jolt of pain through his exhausted limbs, his lungs burning from the dust-filled air. The maze groaned and screeched as its walls shifted and crumbled, but Kai couldn't stop, not when Zane was barely hanging on to life.

Zane looked like he was already slipping away. His once-white hair was now thinning in clumps, and his skin was raw, blistered, and cracked. Blood oozed from his nose and mouth, dark and thick, as if his body were breaking down from the inside out. Each shallow breath he took sounded like a painful struggle.

Kai cursed under his breath, muscles screaming with exhaustion, but his grip on Zane never faltered. He couldn't leave him behind, even though every rational thought screamed at him to do just that.

"I'm not leaving you," Kai muttered, more to convince himself than Zane. "Not like this."

But deep down, he didn't know why he couldn't let go. Guilt? Fear of being alone? The questions whirled in his mind as he dragged Zane forward, the heavy weight of his friend slowing them down with each step.

"You'd better wake up," Kai whispered through gritted teeth, desperation and frustration boiling inside him. "I'm not dying here because of you."

But even as he said it, Kai knew he wouldn't leave Zane behind. Not after everything.

Zane's world was a haze of agony and darkness. He drifted between consciousness and oblivion, his body barely responding as pain wracked every inch of him. He could feel the jagged floor scraping against his back, but it was distant, drowned out by the fire raging inside him. The fragment's energy surged through his veins, tearing him apart from the inside.

Every breath felt like his lungs were full of glass, and blood—thick and metallic—filled his mouth. His muscles twitched uncontrollably, his hands curling into weak fists, but he had no strength left.

The sound of Kai's voice cut through the haze, muffled but frantic. Zane blinked, struggling to focus, the world a blur of light and shadow. The fragment's power inside him was too much—wild, uncontrollable, like a storm ripping through his body.

"I can't control it," Zane whispered, barely able to form the words. "It's… killing me."

Kai's face appeared in his blurred vision, pale and drawn with fear. "Don't say that!" he snapped, his voice trembling. "You're not dying, Zane. Not here. Not now."

But Zane wasn't sure. He could feel his body failing, piece by piece. The fragment was tearing him apart, burning through his blood, shattering his bones. He coughed, more blood spilling from his lips, and his vision began to darken again.

"Kai…" Zane's voice was weak, barely a rasp. He tried to say more, but the pain was too much. His body was breaking, every nerve screaming in protest.

But even in the midst of the agony, there was something else—something deep inside, pulsing with the same energy that was killing him. The fragment wasn't just destroying him; it was pushing him, forcing him to adapt, to survive.

Zane's fingers twitched, his mind grasping for control. If he could just hold on—if he could just focus—

The ground beneath them shook violently, and the maze groaned louder, the walls collapsing around them. Kai looked up, panic flashing across his face as the metallic walls began to close in.

"We have to move!" Kai shouted, grabbing Zane's arm and hoisting him up. "Come on, Zane, fight it!"

Zane's legs gave way beneath him, but Kai held on, pulling him forward with all the strength he had left. Zane's head spun, the pain clouding his thoughts, but something deep within him—some instinct, some force—refused to let go.

Not yet. Not like this.

With a guttural cry, Zane forced his legs to move, his body shaking with the effort. Every step was torture, his skin burning from the inside out, but he kept going, each step fueled by sheer will. He couldn't let the fragment win. Not here. Not now.

Kai, still supporting Zane, staggered forward, both of them barely keeping ahead of the collapsing maze. The walls were grinding against each other, closing in, as if the maze itself was intent on swallowing them whole.

"Zane, listen to me!" Kai's voice was urgent, cutting through the roar of the collapsing structure. "You have to fight it! You have to control the fragment!"

Zane's chest heaved as he struggled to take in air, the fragment's energy pulsing harder, faster, like it was trying to break free. He could feel it surging through his veins, a storm of raw power, and every moment it grew more unstable.

"I… can't…" Zane gasped, his vision swimming. But even as the words left his lips, something inside him stirred. The fragment wasn't just a force of destruction—it was a tool, a power he needed to learn to wield. If he could just find a way to control it…

The maze trembled again, the ground beneath them crumbling as they pushed forward. Zane stumbled, almost falling, but Kai yanked him up, refusing to let him collapse.

"Don't you give up on me!" Kai growled through gritted teeth, his arms straining to keep Zane upright. "We're getting out of here, do you hear me?"

Zane's mind whirled, the fragment's energy crashing against him like waves. He could feel it tearing at him, but there was something else now—something deeper. A connection. If he could just…

And then, with a sudden surge of clarity, Zane reached out—not with his hands, but with his mind. He reached into the core of the fragment's power, grasping it, wrestling it into submission. The energy inside him flared, burning hotter, but this time Zane didn't resist.

He embraced it.

A blinding light erupted from Zane's body, the fragment's energy bursting free in a controlled wave. The walls of the maze shuddered, the collapsing structure momentarily halted by the force of the release.

Kai staggered back, shielding his eyes from the intense light. "Zane, what—?"

Zane stood, his body still trembling, but now he was in control. The fragment's power hummed beneath his skin, no longer chaotic, but focused.

"I'm not dying here," Zane whispered, his voice stronger now. He took a step forward, and the maze responded, the walls bending to the force of his will.

Kai's eyes widened, a mixture of shock and awe flashing across his face. "Zane… you—"

"I'm not giving up," Zane said, his gaze fierce as the light dimmed. "Not now."

And with that, they ran, the maze trembling beneath their feet, but Zane no longer felt like it was closing in. The fragment wasn't tearing him apart anymore.

He was finally in control.