He wanted to shut it out, to silence the voice that urged him to kill. But it was impossible.
Do it. End their puny lives.
The gem pulsed, now much stronger than the gray stone Kael had retrieved after his battle in the forest.
It was almost as if this thing thrived off danger. Thrived off the deaths of others.
Energy continued to seep through his veins, urging Kael forward.
A final scream rang out before cutting off in a sickening gurgle.
The battlefield was his.
Kael stood in the midst of the ruin, his chest heaving.
Bodies lay sprawled across the dirt. Some were still convulsing, others utterly still.
The scent of blood, sweat, and death thickened the air. The gem thrived on it, fed on it. He could feel it leaching from the carnage, a pulsing warmth inside his ribs.
You see? They deserved this. They tried to kill you. They would have slaughtered your friends.
His fingers flexed around the pickaxe handle. They would have killed Elysia. Lucian. Ryker.
