Thousands of footsteps thundered through the stone beneath my feet. An army. Charging toward us. Completely unaware that death already waited for them.

My smile deepened.

The massive doors slowly groaned. Their heavy weight echoed throughout the hall as they were thrown open.

My heart pounded. Not with fear. No. Excitement. Pure... Unrelenting...Excitement.

Opening my eyes, I watched them pour through the entrance. They charged with deafening roars, their weapons raised high above their heads. Hatred twisted across every face.

As I lifted my arm, the dark scale along my skin caught the light.

Its faint shimmer stole my attention.

That day...

He told me the dark magic would remain inside me for only a few days...

My hand twitched. Slowly, I raised it before me. Every ounce of power within me gathered toward my palm.

My blood boiled. Colliding with the fury burning through my veins.

Then why... Why can I still feel it? The power. The rush. The way every once of my senses sharpened. The absolute bliss that came with wielding it.

The dark magic should have vanished from within me days ago. Instead... I can feel it. Alive. Pulsating.

Grabbing my wrist, I held it tightly, forcing every thread of that power into a single point. The pressure built. Swelling. Until I could no longer contain it. It burst from my hand like a blazing torrent of light, tearing through everything that stood before it.

In an instant my power torched them, leaving not a trace behind.

My smile darkened, spreading wider across my face.

Like a wave, more charged in roaring at the top of their lungs, their bodies covered in blood.

Without hesitation, I drew my arm back once more. My blood hot as the dark magic coursed through me.

An orange glow shimmered across my palm, growing brighter with every heartbeat.

I drew in a slow breath before releasing my power upon them.

A blast erupted from my hand, surging straight toward the charging orcs. Like a violent wave, it crashed into them. Bodies were hurled across the room. Some slammed into the stone walls, crying out in agony.

Others were blasted from their feet, blood spraying through the air before they struck the ground, lifeless.

A laugh escaped me. Low and Dark. It crawled from somewhere deep within my chest.

"How...how are you still...". The words died on Xavier's tongue. He stood frozen. His face had gone pale. His eyes locked onto me as though he was staring at something impossible.

Thousands of roaring feet thundered against the stone castle grounds as more waterian's charged in towards me.

Then...I heard it. The voice I had been waiting for. The voice of the one I will kill.. The waterian king.

"Xorim!" His roar tore through the castle like a wild beast,

I watched as the ones I had struck down began to rise, slowly one by one. Their movements were unnatural. Jerking. Staggering.

My gaze lingered on them in silence. A faint smile pulled at the corner of my mouth.

No matter how many bodies I must carve through to get to him, No matter how much dark magic I must embrace.

You escape death once. Today mercy will not find you.

Today...You Will Die.