Chapter 24: The First Person She Hurt
The power wouldn't stop.
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Emily could feel it spilling out of her—
wild—
burning—
like something inside her had finally broken open.
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"Emily!" Daniel shouted again.
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But his voice sounded distant.
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The room warped around her.
Furniture lifted slightly off the ground.
Cracks spread across the walls.
Glass trembled violently.
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And the worst part?
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She couldn't stop it.
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"I—I can't control it—"
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CONTROL LOST.
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The system's voice echoed over her thoughts.
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"Suppressing host instability impossible."
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"No!" Emily cried.
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Another pulse exploded outward.
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BOOM.
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One of The Order's agents was thrown backward—
slamming hard into a wall.
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The others immediately raised defensive barriers.
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"Contain the subject!" someone shouted.
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"No!" Daniel snapped. "You're making it worse!"
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The man leading The Order didn't move.
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His eyes remained fixed on Emily.
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"Observe," he said calmly.
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Emily's breathing became uneven.
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Everything hurt.
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Her mind.
Her chest.
Her thoughts.
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And beneath it all—
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That voice.
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Soon.
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"Get out of my head!" she screamed.
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The energy around her flared violently again—
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And this time—
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someone got too close.
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Her mother.
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"Emily!" she shouted, rushing toward her.
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Her father's eyes widened instantly.
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"WAIT—!"
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Too late.
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The energy reacted instinctively.
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A violent shockwave burst outward.
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Her mother was thrown back.
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Hard.
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"Mom!"
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Time stopped.
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Her mother hit the floor sharply—
not moving for a second.
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The room fell silent.
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Emily froze.
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"No…"
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The power around her flickered.
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Her father rushed immediately to his wife's side.
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"Claire!"
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Emily's chest tightened painfully.
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"…No no no no…"
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Her mother slowly opened her eyes—
groaning softly.
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Alive.
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But hurt.
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And when she looked at Emily—
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There was fear in her eyes.
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Not anger.
Not disappointment.
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Fear.
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That hurt more than anything.
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Emily stepped back slowly.
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"…I didn't mean to…"
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Her voice broke.
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"I didn't—"
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Her mother flinched slightly when the energy around Emily surged again.
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That tiny reaction shattered something inside her.
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Emily stared at her own hands.
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Shaking.
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Dangerous.
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Monster.
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The thought slipped into her mind before she could stop it.
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Daniel moved toward her carefully.
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"Emily," he said softly, "look at me."
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But she couldn't.
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Because now she understood.
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Why The Order was afraid.
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Why the Eater called her unfinished.
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Why her father looked worried all the time.
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Because she was losing herself.
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"I hurt her…" Emily whispered.
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"It was an accident," Daniel said immediately.
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"But I still did it!"
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The room trembled again.
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Daniel stopped moving.
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"Emily, breathe."
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"I can't control this!"
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"Yes, you can."
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"No, I can't!"
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Tears burned in her eyes.
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"I'm becoming exactly what they said I was!"
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The man from The Order finally spoke again.
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"…Emotional instability accelerating corruption."
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Daniel shot him a furious glare.
"Shut up."
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But the damage was already done.
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Emily heard it.
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Corruption.
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Monster.
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Danger.
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Her breathing became more uneven.
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The system flickered violently.
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HOST MENTAL STATE COLLAPSING.
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"No…" Emily whispered.
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Then—
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The temperature dropped.
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Everyone felt it instantly.
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Daniel's expression changed.
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"…Not now."
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Zara swore softly under her breath.
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The shadows in the room deepened unnaturally.
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And from the broken darkness near the wall—
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Something moved.
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The Eater.
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Drawn by her pain.
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By her instability.
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Its voice echoed softly through her mind.
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…Now you understand…
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Emily stared at it—
terrified.
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Because part of her feared—
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It was right.