Chapter 13 · The Price of a Soul Sync

"Get the hell away from me, Silas!"

Vivian’s blade was an inch from his throat, the steel humming with a lethal, pale light. She didn't just look angry; she looked like she was ready to carve the Tyrant into pieces.

Inside the mind-scape, I was screaming. I was slamming my fists against the invisible wall separating my consciousness from the physical body.

*Vivian! Look at me! He’s not the one talking!*

But Silas was in the driver's seat, and he was loving every second of it. He leaned into the knife, his lips curling into that arrogant, lazy smirk that made me want to rip his soul out through his nose.

"You're shaking, Vivian," Silas purred, his voice dripping with a fake, velvet tenderness. "Is it hate? Or are you just realizing how much you actually want to touch me?"

"I want to watch you bleed out on this rug," she spat. Her knuckles were white, her breathing jagged.

I couldn't take it. The parasitic system in my head started flashing a violent, neon red.

[WARNING: SYNC RATE CRITICAL. HOST RESISTANCE DETECTED. FORCE OVERRIDE AVAILABLE.]

*Do it. Give me the wheel.