The Blood Wolves | Vol.3, The Eldenarian Artifacts ✓

28.

Sebastian knew it.

For weeks, people had been trying to convince him that Makaela had betrayed them. That she was the enemy. That the girl he once knew was gone and never coming back. And he had just started to believe them. He had been turning his attention to Imogen. For the past few weeks, her loyalty to him had never wavered.

Makaela had slowly been fading away into a bittersweet memory in the back of his mind.

Then she saved them. She saved him. She stepped up when they needed her the most

Sebastian never truly let go of the hope he held out for her. He knew the Makaela he knew was still in there—somewhere. She wasn't truly lost. No one believed him then. They had no choice but to believe him now.

Makaela saved his life. Now it was time for him to return the favor.

It was clear she had gotten stronger under the teachings of his father, but she wouldn't be able to handle Thorian on her own. She needed help.

His help.

They would defeat his father together.

But before he could help her, he and his friends needed to escape the dilapidated cathedral being used as a base for the Order of the Black Lotus.

"Come on!" he yelled over the sounds of heavy footsteps. He didn't need to look behind him to know they were being chased. Footsteps and shouts echoed behind him. The loud noises ricocheted off the walls like knockback spells. If they slowed down just a little bit, they would be caught.

Gritting his teeth, Sebastian forced himself to run faster.

As he skidded around a corner, nearly toppling over in the process, he realized escaping the building would only lead him to more enemies. His group was also hopelessly outnumbered; there was no way they would win that battle. Not without help. But there was no way to get word to Naidini's forces, most of which were stuck in the city or the Great Tree.

Shaking his head, Sebastian continued running down the hall with his friends right behind him.

They would figure that out later. For now, they needed to get outside.

"We're almost there!"

The exit doors loomed at the end of the hallway. Sebastian's eyes widened. His heart rate sped up. Freedom was so close. Just a few steps—

Out the corner of his eye, Sebastian spotted violet wisps of magic crawling along the brick walls of the corridor. He slowed up, allowing Jorgen and the Eldai to pass him by as he turned around. A Shade stood at the other end with their fingers twirling in the air. Their purple mark glowed fiercely in their palm.

A shiver slid down Sebastian's spine. He recognized the spell the Shade was trying to perform.

Remy stopped at his side with his brow raised. "Why'd you stop? Let's go."

"Wait—"

His warning was cut short by both walls ahead of him imploding.

Remy was flung to the side with a surprised yelp. The force of the sudden blast sent Sebastian crashing to the ground. In an instant, he found himself laid out on the cracked floor with a few bricks weighing down his chest. Coughing, he pushed them off of his body and waved away the clouds of dust hanging over him. Pain flared in his arms and chest, but he tried his best to ignore it.

He had a feeling he would have to fight soon.

After lifting his head, he spotted the massive pile of shrapnel and broken chunks of the walls standing before him. The entire section of the corridor the Shade had exploded collapsed. He couldn't even see the exit on the other side. A fire was beginning to spread along the barrier as well. Smoke lifted into the air and mixed with the dust clouds.