Chapter 30 · Bound to the Executioner: Leveling Up With My Enemy - Chapter 30: The Archon Awakens

"Get the hell out of here, Vesp!" Soren’s voice cracked, a raw sound that tore through the ringing in my ears. He didn't look at me. He couldn't. He was braced against the jagged remains of a pillar, his knuckles white, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth.

In my hand, the golden ticket hummed. A shimmering, translucent rift—the System's final mercy. One touch and I was gone. Back to a world with sterile hospitals, cold coffee, and a life where the only thing I had to fight was a stubborn insurance claim. No more soul-bonds. No more bleeding out in the dirt of a fanatical empire. No more Soren.

"Just go," he spat, his chest heaving. He tried to stand, but his leg gave way with a sickening pop. He slammed back into the debris, a guttural snarl escaping his lips. "You won. You're free. Don't be a fucking idiot."

I looked at the rift. Then I looked at him. He looked like a broken dog, still trying to bite the hand that held his leash. My heart hammered against my ribs, not in fear, but in a rhythm that matched his—