Rathra finally exhaled, long and steady, and with it the suffocating weight of his aura faded. The chamber seemed to gasp with him, everyone drew desperate breaths of relief.
Peke lifted her head groggily, then, rather than getting up, simply flopped onto her backside with a pout, deciding to sit there. Beat wordlessly joined her, sinking down with crossed arms. Meriam huffed at the pair, but said nothing.
Rathra turned his gaze back to Uzi. He reached down, gripping him by his newly-changed body, and with casual ease lifted him from the floor. Then, with no warning, he pressed his thumb firmly against Uzi's forearm.
The pain was immediate, even searing. Uzi's scream ripped through the area as a mark burned its way onto his skin, carving itself like molten metal. A black-and-white striped teardrop shimmered into existence, the number 6 etched beneath it.
Tears blurred his vision, his voice breaking into hoarse sobs.
"Raidren," Rathra said flatly, "your spare dagger."
Raidren gave the faintest sigh of reluctance, but wordlessly produced the blade, holding it out. Rathra didn't hesitate. He drove the dagger straight into Uzi's shoulder.
The boy's scream came louder, sharper than before, so raw that his throat shredded under the force. His voice cracked, choked, until no sound came at all, only ragged wheezing. He clutched at his throat, desperate, but not even a whisper escaped.
With a sharp snap of his fingers, Rathra summoned Solus once more. The figure appeared instantly, towering and monstrous. His hand was piercing straight through a slave's neck, his grip unnervingly casual.
Uzi gagged at the sight, nearly vomiting.
"Solus," Rathra commanded coldly, "a portal. Above the forest of the kingdom we've just claimed."
Solus chuckled darkly, as if the order itself amused him. With a snap of his other hand, a glowing ring floated off his hand before them, hovering upright. Its surface rippled like water, yet seethed with raw energy.
Rathra leaned in close, his lips almost brushing Uzi's ear. Uzi feebly tried to push him away, weak arms trembling against Rathra's iron grip.
"Please," Rathra whispered, his tone almost mocking in its softness, "be watching."
And then he hurled Uzi into the portal.
The world spun violently as he tumbled through, light streaking around him until the image of the burning forest came into view. Uzi managed to glance back once, just enough to see Rathra's shadowed figure still standing there.
He looked forward again, the flames consuming the kingdom he'd been thrown above reflecting in his wide eyes. In his mind, one thought burned hotter than the fire itself: I'll fix this. No matter what it takes.
As Uzi plummeted through the glowing rift, the scene shifted. Beneath the canopy of the forest, a teenage girl sat quietly under a tree. Her long, silky blond hair shimmered faintly in the filtered light, a simple sword resting at her hip. Her posture suggested calm focus, watchfulness, and patience.
Her head tilted slightly upward as she caught sight of Uzi falling from the sky.
Uzi fell with all the regret in the world. Wind howled in his ears as he descended, the forest rushing up fast. Rage surged in his chest,
"ILL FIX THIS, ALL OF THIS, AND MAKE YOU PAY!"
Then, impact. The ground slammed into him with unforgiving force, and everything went black. Uzi's body went limp, consciousness ripped away in an instant.