Chapter 42

The night swallowed them.

Edgar ran until his legs burned, dragging Sebastian through the trees as the black fortress collapsed behind them in a storm of dust and magic.

Magnet Man burst through the undergrowth at his side, armor cracked, blood streaking his temple, but still moving with relentless purpose.

Professor stumbled last, cloak torn, the light of his talismans flickering and dimming like dying stars.

Behind them, the fortress’s spires crumbled into themselves, vanishing in a single, silent implosion.

And then the forest was still.

They collapsed in a small clearing.

Sebastian sagged against a fallen log, breath ragged, eyes half-shut. His skin had gone almost translucent now — the black veins at his throat pulsed like a second heartbeat.

Edgar fell to his knees beside him.

“Sebastian. Hey. Stay with me.”

His voice cracked. “We’re not losing you.”

Sebastian managed a faint smile.

“Not… yet.”