57. CursedPower
CursedPower
Playlist: Save Yourself - Stabbing Westward
Kael
Even the lab door hissing, as it shuts behind me, sets me off. The echo of Vikktor’s voice is still ringing in my ears like the last command of a dying machine. His instructions were clear, not a choice, but an order I have to obey.
My hands are steady at my sides, but not for long. Inside, my newfound power builds, begging to flare through the thin fabric of my control.
Vikktor Vosse has lost his way. Once my mentor. Now my boss. Always my leash.
Not anymore, I vow.
Every word he spat at me in that office is a constant reminder.
He doesn’t see me as a man, only as his tool, to be used and put away quietly.
An extension of his empire, nothing more.
For years, I’ve tricked myself into believing that it is enough.
Discipline. Purpose. All the things Kenji drilled into me, have been warped into robotic service for a tyrant who thinks he’s godlike.
But he isn’t.
One day, the tables will turn.
I’m not ready. But the promise is there, solid and sharp like the blade of my sword. Vikktor Vosse is no longer my leader. He’s an obstacle. One I will have to cut down if I ever want Lyra or myself free of him.
My reflection in the glass of the lab windows stares back at me, veins faintly lit again, dragon ink coiled and restless. It’s not going to fade. Because right now, my magic is a weapon, surfacing at the moment when I need it most. All because of her.
It feels like a fever dream to me, all those years on the streets, Ash refining his magical abilities to become the man he is today, and me, magicless, building my reputation on my uncanny ability to architect any data system, solve any mathematical equation, master any situation presented to me.
If only I had known.
Would it have saved my family? Would it have saved me from myself?
The thought presses against the chambers in my heart, but as I always do, I push it down to the darkest depths, with the other rotting emotions.
I throw my jacket across the console and roll up my sleeves. Ash lurches forward after leaning back in his chair. “Well?”
“Boots off!” I command as I push past him, incapable of hearing his response through the white-hot rage consuming me.
My office is a mess of papers, take out boxes, and cybernetic parts. I shove everything off the desk in one swipe, a loud crash, and it all scatters across the floor like a system failure I can’t reboot.
Sparks spit from a busted prototype as it hits the wall. My chest heaves, absent of air. Ash follows me in, forcing conversation. “Kaze, say something.”
I’m incapable.
“Blink twice if we’re screwed. Hell, blink once, I can take a hint.” He remains in the doorway.
“Not the time,” Ember cuts in, shoving him to the side. Her eyes never leave me. Wide. Calculating. She’s already piecing together what’s happened.
“Does anyone fucking knock anymore? Why do I even have an office door?” I brace both hands on my desk, knuckles blanching.
A ping from Ash’s DataLINK breaks the stillness, and he excuses himself to the hallway to answer. Ember finally speaks, her voice soft but steady: “Kael, what’s happening to you? All this lashing out isn’t like you.”
“What’s happening is that Vikktor knows.” Every word he spewed in that office replays in my head, like a constant data feed.
He sees me as nothing but a tool. As Ash has always said, I’m a corporate dog on a leash, for Vikktor to yank when it suits him.
Her lips part, but she swallows, instead of speaking. The look on her face tells me all I need to know.
“What exactly does he know, Ember? Feel like sharing?” I snap my head toward her, glare sharp enough to peel her open.
She takes a step back, her designer heels clicking on the floor. “Kael, don’t put this on me.” Her voice falters, then steadies with a distinct edge. “I haven’t told him anything. You think I’d hand my father the one person who’s stood up for me my whole life?”
Who knows? No one seems to be the person they were before.
I step closer, hoping to fill the space around her, intimidate her.
I move fast, slamming my hand into the wall beside her head, caging her in.
The screens stutter with the impact. She startles but holds her ground.
Her throat bobs as she swallows. Neon streaks flare up my arm and disappear like whispers under my sleeve.
“Then how does he know?” I’m flaring again, a spark begging to ignite. She’s right, this isn’t like me. “You’re the only one with access besides me,” I press.
She squares her shoulders, chin tilting up, her pulse is visible below her jaw.
“You’re angry, I get it. But don’t confuse my father’s poison with my loyalty.
He could know about Lyra because he’s got spies everywhere, trackers in every corner of this building, cameras. He doesn’t need me to fill him in.”
My fist clenches as the other hand joins the wall around her crimson hair. The truth stings because it’s possible, actually very likely, but still, doubt gnaws at me.
Spies are crucial to winning a war.
“Then why,” I hiss, leaning in closer, “does he know things only you and I have access to? Tell me that, Ember. How? Shall I rip every line of code you’ve written apart until I find where you’ve leaked it?”
Her face pales, but her jaw stays firm. “Kael, I didn’t betray—”
“Don’t lie to me!” My fist slams the wall again, harder, rattling the monitors. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t wince. Brave or stupid, I have no clue. Maybe both.
Ash is between us in a blink, one hand pushing back against my chest. There’s no plastered smile this time, no jokes. “Back off, Kael. She’s not your punching bag. You want answers, fine, tear apart your system, but you don’t get to tear her apart.”
I meet his eyes; a neon-blue pulse matches my orange, and for a moment I almost shove him aside. But there’s something in his look, a kind of steady, grounding weight only Ash has ever been able to throw at me. It makes me pause.
“Oh, this is adorable. You two together now or what?! Ash is your knight in shining leather?” My breathing is ragged, my hands trembling with the urge to break something or break someone. Either will suffice.
“More of a jester, actually. A really hot jester, but I digress.” Ash sucks in a breath calmly. “Real talk: Save the drama for later; we’re busy trying to get Lyra the chew toy out of LINK’s mouth. Remember?”
Lyra. Shit. I’ve been pulled in so many different directions in the last hour I almost forgot that she’s still inside. And in danger. I feel my pulse pound in my temples as my nerves begin to fray.
Ember continues to grovel. “I didn’t tell him, Kael. If Vikktor knows, it’s because he’s watching you closer than you think. And if you can’t trust me in your battle, then you’ve already lost the war.”
The silence that follows is a razor’s edge. My teeth grind together. Every instinct in me screams to push her harder, force a confession. But somewhere deep inside me, past the fury, I know she’s telling the truth.
The emergence of my magic is making me irrational and unrestrained. Still, I let my eyes burn into her and Ash. “If I find out you betrayed me, Ember, it won’t be Vikktor you need to fear. It’ll be me.”
Ash leads Ember by the arm to the doorway. “I’ll be right out.” He closes the door behind him and leans his weight into it. His voice is stern, lacking the usual lightness. “What the hell’s going on? What’s wrong with you?”
The air stiffens between us. I trust Ash with my life, but right now, we’re at an impasse. “She’s hiding something,” I snap.
Ash takes two slow steps forward, placing himself in my path, forcing me to move back.
He exhales through his nose and shakes his head.
“I’ve known you a long time, Bro. Long enough to know you’re running hot right now.
This is so unlike you I’m going to chalk it up to the whole magic spanking you’re taking.
So, I’ll spell it out for you.” His tone is forceful but calm.
“If Ember is feeding your every move to Captain Abandonment upstairs, we’d already be erased. You especially.”
I glare at him, fire still roaring underneath my skin.
“She’s not your enemy, man. You start treating her like one, you’ll lose the only ally inside this place who actually gives a damn about you or your work.” Ash’s words resonate like a physical blow, knocking some sense into me.
Knowing when to disengage, retreat, or avoid a conflict entirely can ensure ultimate victory.
—Master Kenji
I lean on my desk, exhaustion setting in. “She’s still in there, Ash. With LINK. With Eli. And I—” The words break apart in my throat. “I left her.”
“Aha...there it is! So, that’s what this is about.” His hands disappear into his pockets. “You didn’t leave her. You came back so you could be the one to save her. Survival. Just like when we were kids.”
“I’m done being his weapon.” My voice wavers but my decision is firm. Another vow that etches itself into the fabric of the air.
We both can see clearly now, this isn’t about obedience or compliance, or even rebellion. It’s about Lyra, about giving her back the life that was stolen from her by corporate sovereignty.
Ash exhales, his laugh shaky and a bit unsure after calling me out. “You owe Ember an apology.” He turns the handle on my office door. “And maybe dim it down a bit? If Vikktor even sees a hint of that little light trick glowing under your skin, we’re all going to be vaporized before breakfast.”
I don’t answer him because he’s right.
She’s still in there. And now I know: She brought out my power. My magic is tied to hers. If I lose her, I lose myself.
I’ll use this cursed power, burn myself out if I have to. Whatever it takes, as long as I bring her back.