Chapter 28 · God-Chamber Breach

"Get the hell away from her!"

Darek didn't wait for an answer. He lunged, his mechanical arm screaming as it overclocked, sending a jagged arc of black-gold lightning straight at Sterling’s chest.

Sterling didn't even flinch. He didn't move. The bolt hit him square in the heart, but instead of exploding, the energy just... vanished. It soaked into his skin like water into a sponge.

Sterling looked down at his chest, then back at Darek with a thin, bored smile. "Is that it? I expected more from a walking disaster like you, Vance."

"Shut up!" Darek roared, swinging again, but Sterling moved faster than humanly possible. A single palm strike caught Darek in the solar plexus, sending him skidding across the polished obsidian floor of the God-Chamber.

Air vanished from Darek's lungs. He gasped, hacking, his vision swimming in red. Beside him, Lyra lay crumpled, her breathing shallow and ragged. A deep gash ran from her shoulder to her hip, soaking her tactical gear in a dark, shimmering crimson.

"Lyra," Darek choked out, crawling toward her. His fingers brushed her cheek—she was cold. Too cold.

"Don't bother," Sterling said, his voice echoing in the vast, vaulted room.