Kyle's POV
My Telekinesis lashed out in every direction the moment I regained consciousness.
A few weeks ago, pre-optimization, that would have meant a few objects flying, drywall tearing in half, and maybe somebody catching a fork to the eye, but now—now an entire building vanished, ripped apart by expanding mental force in an outburst so violent it sent concussive waves through the structure, tearing it down to its very foundations and killing or flinging everyone and everything caught in my range.
Bianca and her children died immediately, pulped in the hands of the Superman wannabe. I felt it happen at the edge of my stirring perception. At the same time, I sensed someone erect a dome of psychic energy that barely weathered my involuntary attack.
It was the girl Martian, shielding the squishier members of the Justice League, including Batman and Canary. She had a knife sticking out of her neck. It was one of Priya's blades.
She was most definitely not going to make it.
I whistled, genuinely impressed by her ruthlessness.
I stopped my descent mid-air, caught myself with a telekinetic grip, and flung my body toward the nearest rooftop. Something slammed into me mid-flight, shoulder-first, and I felt something tear inside my shoulder. My vision went white a moment before I crashed through a glass window and five interior walls, finally skidding to a stop on my feet, bleeding all over the floor. An almost subconscious, skin-tight telekinetic barrier had formed just before impact, sparing me from the worst of it.
Something fast tore down the path I had taken, carrying an energy signature I recognized.
Alex.
"No. Thank you."
I waved my hand and dragged the roof down over my head, collapsing the route behind me. I took off running, telekinesis propelling every step and pushing me faster with barely any physical effort. I burst out of the far side of the building just as it detonated behind me in a flash of skin-melting heat. The shockwave struck like a physical punch and drove me low and fast toward the busy streets below.
"Kyle! You animal. Get back here!"
I did not listen.
Damn the consequences.
Artisan had been very clear about the chain of command when she assigned me and the other metas to the rich asshole. Ade—Ming—Alex. In the absence of the Enforcer and sorceress, he was my boss, and the penalty for disobedience was death by binding vow, but I figured it was still better than prison or an eternity of servitude.
I landed with my eyes shut, cracking the asphalt beneath me while I waited to die. George and the others had been vivid in their descriptions of a soul's death, how the mind and body collapsed violently into something inhuman.
A second passed, then another. And I opened my eyes, letting in pinpricks of light. Huh.
I can't be free—
Beams of Cursed Fire poured down from above while I twisted away. Cars exploded. Stone melted. People spontaneously combusted from the sheer heat.
"You killed them!" Alex roared, flinging another beam my way. I flipped sideways and shouted back.
"No! You did. The day you asked her to marry you."
Alex jerked to a stop, my words practically knocking the wind out of him, and I took advantage.
I clapped my hands together and hurled two cars at him. He swatted the first aside and vaporized the second with a flame-wreathed fist before charging straight at me.
I took a deep breath as I landed and rooted myself mentally, reaching out with both hands. My telekinesis chewed through the thick layer of cursed energy wrapped around his brain.
All it took was a little pressure.
Alex's body simply gave out.
He tumbled head over heels, barely alive and twitching on the pavement. Something warm touched my lips, and I wiped away blood that'd trailed down my nose.
I honestly did not think that would work.
And surprise, surprise. I wasn't dead. So, someway somehow, Artisan's Vow wasn't working.
I let out a full-throated laugh. It was deep, careless, and a bit indulgent if I was being honest, but I couldn't help myself.
Breathing in deeply, I savored the taste of the air. It was acrid and smoky, but it was freedom.
"Taste just as good as I thought it would," I said, then sensed somebody coming up behind me.
Compared to them, Alex had been practically standing still.
They displaced the air as they came behind and above me.
My heart jumped into my throat as I spun around, and I found myself pleasantly surprised.
"Wonder Woman?" I laughed bitterly. "And they say the universe doesn't have a sense of humor."
George's POV
My insides screamed, and my skin burned. Zatara and the being wearing his dying body spoke in a warped chorus, their voices overlapping as they mocked and scolded me. One of the clones even called me an abomination.
I scoffed.
He was the abomination.
Alex's building exploded in the distance, and I used their momentary distraction to form a hand sign.
Domain Expansion: Infinite Void.
A black barrier of Cursed Energy manifested and swallowed me, all ten of Zatara's clones, and the original, who had been hiding behind a layer of invisibility.
Millions upon millions of images poured into Zatara's mind. They repeated, overlapped, and alternated, and my lips pulled apart in a reckless grin.
Magic chains? Really.
Did that chump really think that would be enough to stop me?
I was a Special Grade Sorcerer. One of Artisan's Numbered. I was...unstoppable.
But did I have to be? Especially for her?
0.5 seconds.
That's how long he lasted before the chains began losing their color and strength. With a surge of Blue, I shattered the golden bindings like glass, and with my other hand, I summoned a sphere of red.
Imaginary Mass: Hollow Purple.
I fused both techniques and aimed at the point where the mystical energy felt densest--a small patch of empty space in the corner of my barrier.
"Did you really think you could fool me?"
Fate's veil dropped instantly. He summoned all ten clones to his side just as I flicked my finger. They formed golden ankhs in the air and generated a massive shield.
Batman's POV
Her arterial blood soaked my shoulder and cowl before I even registered the blade in her throat. In that instant, I knew she was on borrowed time.
Zatara and now Canary. This could not keep happening.
Kyle detonated like an inertia grenade and shattered a five-story building like it was Legos. Reality reached me in fragments.
One moment we were airborne, and the next we were on the street. My stomach flipped, and I struggled to keep my footing. A flash of flame erupted overhead, and Martian Manhunter shot back so fast he slammed into car, barely avoiding getting burned.
A dozen violet fists rose into the air. The Bioship accelerated and banked hard to evade them, but one twisted mid-flight, followed the craft, and swatted it out of the sky.
My eyes widened.
"Robin!"
Something, or rather someone, caught the Bioship before it could crash. His face was hidden in shadow, but I recognized the silhouette instantly.
Superman.
"Just hold on," M'gann managed through choked sobs while pressing her hands against Canary's neck. There was too much blood. Superboy was by her side.
I wanted to speak. I wanted to do something. Before I could decide, Canary was gone.
Someone stirred in the wreckage. It was the teleporter, Sanjay. He pushed debris off his ruined knees and locked eyes with me. He tried to say something, but I shot him with a taser dart before he could speak.
Part of me knew I should not have done that.
I did not care.
I was beyond angry, beyond restraint.
A blast of energy passed over my shoulder, followed by a scream. I turned and saw Ming collapse. She had probably tried to flee during the chaos. Captain Atom arrived with reinforcements, and Hawkman, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman touched down moments later. She was holding someone in cuffs and restraints.
He was smirking.
"You!" Superboy shoved past me, soaked in blood that I realized was not only Canary's.
It was Bianca's and her children's as well.
Oh God.
They were gone in an instant. I had been too distracted to notice.
Kyle's grin widened. "What's up, knock-off Superman?"
"Cool it, big guy," Green Lantern warned, placing a brick wall between them. "This isn't the time or place." His eyes lingered on Canary's body, and he shivered.
"But he—"
A purple wave of force tore down the street, shredding cars, collapsing buildings, and detonating vehicles. Superman blasted it back with a hurricane of a breath while Green Lantern erected a massive barrier to shield us from the blowback.
When the shockwave hit, the ground trembled beneath our feet.
George and Dr. Fate were still fighting.
I had hoped the fight would be over after the spell, but it was clear I'd underestimated George.
Green Lantern slowly lowered the barrier.
Through the smoke and ruin, two figures floated at the epicenter.
One was blood-soaked and favoring his side.
The other looked satisfied, almost proud.
George was different from how I remembered him. He was taller now, his skin pale as snow to match his hair and claws. He looked almost human except for the horn jutting from one side of his head and the reptilian eye that replaced his missing eye.
We watched cautiously, not in a hurry to engage, but understanding we had to.
The stronger the sorcerer, the more extreme their transformation.
George was clearly very strong, and the fight wouldn't be easy, but he still had to be captured.
Kyle's single eye passed over every member of the Justice League before settling on Dr. Fate.
I had no idea what had happened between them, but it was obvious the magician could not continue.
"You know," George said with a laugh, "I'm kind of glad I tore out your heart."
The Lord of Order gathered light in his fist, but George was already gone.
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