Nikolai sat against the cold wall. The room was bare—just dark brick in a dark, airless space. He could barely see the blood on his hands—the blood of the people he had healed, the same people likely being used again right now.

  He had cried. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that. He had despaired, because he had never witnessed anything so horrific. Human cruelty… He had known of it, of course—heard stories, seen movies, even enjoyed some. But this? This was real. And now, he was part of it.

  That thought alone made his skin crawl, and a white-hot fury burned deep inside him.

  He wasn’t sure how long he had been trapped in that room, or when—if ever—he would be let out. But he knew one thing: he was valuable. Useful. They’d come for him eventually.

  Hours dragged by before the door finally opened. Larry stood in the doorway, that same smug grin plastered on his face. Behind him was the larger, burlier man—his name still unknown.

  “Time to work, boy,” the big man said. Larry just smirked.

  “I told you he’d be fine,” Larry added.

  The big man shrugged. “Must be hungry, though. You can eat after you work boy.”

  Nikolai nodded and stood, then followed them out—back to the same room as the day before. Some faces were new, others familiar. The first woman he had healed was there again, staring at him with hollow, hopeless eyes—eyes that mirrored his own.

  He knelt before a man glaring at him. “Get to it, boy! It hurts like hell!”

  Nikolai said nothing. He simply placed his hand over the wound and healed the man in a few minutes, it was fairly shallow, cut from a knife he guessed. When it was done, the man shoved him aside and stood.

  “’Bout fucking time, useless whelp. Hey, Barry—show me out, will ya?”

  Barry nodded and opened the door for him. Then the two men left.

  Nikolai hid a small smile from Larry, who was now the only guard remaining. He placed a hand over the nearest person’s foot, then quietly cast Soothe on himself instead. His worry, his fear, his pain—all of it faded. Only cold, hard reason remained. He needed that now, because he had decided hours ago what needed to be done, and wasn’t sure he would be able to stomach it otherwise.

  He glanced back at Larry, who raised a hand threateningly. “Get to it, boy. You might not be fine this time, if I have to get serious.”

  Nikolai cast Mind Wipe. He felt the spell take hold, and Larry’s eyes went blank. As he began to fall, Nikolai moved.

  He thrust out his hand, channeling mana into Mana Barrier with his dark affinity.

  Funny thing about Mana Barrier—it was meant to be defensive. It could be moved, shifted, positioned to block an attack if one knew how.

  That wasn’t how Nikolai used it..

  Dark energy swirled around his hand, then exploded outward, forming a semi-translucent oval barrier that shot forward and slammed into Larry with tremendous force.

  The barrier held as long as his mana did—and it was draining fast. Larry smashed against the wall, bones cracking under the impact. Nikolai pushed harder, pinning him there. When Larry’s eyes began to flicker with awareness, Nikolai rushed forward, grabbed his arm, and activated Minor Essence Drain.

  Darkness spiraled up his arm—and Larry cried out.

  Nikolai didn’t flinch. His perfectly calm mind kept him focused. Deep down, he knew he would hate himself for this later, but his emotions had no hold over him now, only logic.

  He was surprised when the woman he’d healed yesterday appeared beside him. She was skeletal, her skin grey and dry, but her eyes blazed with fury. She reached around the barrier, yanked Larry’s knife free, and began stabbing him in the side with animalistic rage. Larry startet screaming now, the sound becoming a begging desperate thing.

  She stabbed and stabbed—anywhere she could reach—while Nikolai held Larry there, draining him dry.

  “Don’t worry, Larry. You’ll be fine, right?” Nikolai said, his voice calm and detached. When Larry finally died, Nikolai smiled faintly.

  The barrier dropped. Larry collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

  The woman didn’t stop. She kept stabbing.

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  “It’s done. Stop!” Nikolai snapped.

  She froze, looking up at him. Her face and hands were soaked in red. She still looked furious—but fear flickered in her eyes now. Fear of him. It would have affected him normally, to be looked upon like that, but not at this moment.

  Nikolai nodded. “We need to prepare. The other one will be back soon.”

  She nodded slowly, straightening. “I will help.”

  He studied her—bruised, battered, clearly abused. “I will heal you. Stand still.”

  She flinched as he reached for her, but his flat expression made her freeze.

  “I said stand still,” he repeated, firmer.

  She obeyed. He placed a hand on her shoulder and forced healing energy into her. It wasn’t gentle, but it was fast. Bruises faded in seconds. The other damage would have to wait.

  He glanced around the room, checked his mana reserves, and nodded, the essence he had taken was helping him recvoer. “Who among you can fight?”

  Silence. Then a man raised his hand—young, in decent shape, his arm broken but otherwise capable.

  Nikolai nodded, then turned to the woman. “You—listen at the door. If you hear the other one, warn me.”

  She nodded. Nikolai began healing the man. It took longer due to the fracture, but it wasn’t too bad, and only took a few minutes. When finished, the man stood on his own.

  Nikolai checked his mana again. Most of Larry’s essence was gone—spent healing the very people Larry had helped hurt. That thought made the kill feel more justified to him.

  He knew the emotions would crash down later, but not now. Not yet. He cast Soothe again just to be safe, and took position behind the door.

  No one spoke. Even those still injured stayed silent, watching him warily. The newly healed man just stared at him.

  Nikolai frowned. Why were they all so damn passive?

  “You!” he said, pointing to the man. “What’s your name?”

  The man flinched. “David… sir.”

  Nikolai nodded. “David, you need to act wounded still. You too!” he added, pointing to the bloody girl.

  She looked down at her soaked clothes and hands. “I, uh… don’t think that’ll work,” she said with a dry, almost humorous tone.

  Nikolai shrugged. “Right. Fair point. What’s your name?”

  She managed a small smile. “Igri.”

  “Alright, Igri. Stand with me. Here’s the plan…”

  The door opened a few minutes later. Barry stepped in, his eyes snapping immediately to Larry’s crumpled form and the blood smeared across the floor and wall.

  “What the—”

  His eyes snapped to Nikolai, and he barely had time to react before Barry lunged. He moved too fast—his short sword flashed, and pain exploded in Nikolai’s chest. Only Igri’s sudden shove from the side kept it from piercing his heart.

  The impact slammed him into the wall. Gasping, he grabbed Barry’s wrist and activated Minor Essence Drain. Darkness enveloped his hand, and Barry groaned, eyes widening in shock.

  Then David leapt on Barry’s back, arm snaking around the man’s throat. Igri struck, driving the dagger into Barry’s side.

  Barry roared in rage, backhanded Igri so hard she crumpled, then swung at Nikolai.

  Nikolai cast Mind Wipe, but it barely slowed him. Still, the ongoing drain was working, sapping Barry’s strength.

  David wrenched at Barry’s neck, but the brute wouldn’t go down. Nikolai grabbed the dagger still lodged in his side and ripped it free with a wet, tearing sound. Despite the growing horror, he stabbed Barry—once, twice, three times.

  Barry dropped to one knee, eyes still burning with fury. His hand shot out, clamping around Nikolai’s throat, crushing hard.

  Nikolai couldn’t breathe. The sword was still in his chest. The essence he drained kept him alive, but only barely—it was going out as fast as it came in.

  Then warmth flared in his chest again. That familiar expanding sensation filled him. He grinned through bloody teeth.

  The improved Drain spell was working—denser essence, more efficient. Maybe his body could use it better now? Whatever it was, it worked.

  The fight became a stalemate—Barry too weak to strike, Nikolai too drained to move. David tightened his chokehold, and Barry’s face turned purple. Less than a minute later, the man finally collapsed.

  Nikolai gasped for air, sliding down the wall.

  David dropped beside him, looking at him worriedly. “I’m taking it out!”

  Nikolai frowned, dazed. “Take what—”

  David yanked the sword free. Nikolai screamed.

  “Heal yourself!” David hissed.

  Barry’s stolen essence kept the bleeding in check, but it wasn’t enough. Gritting his teeth, Nikolai began casting Heal.

  The magic burned through his mana reserves. After a minute, the wound closed, leaving an angry scar. He could heal it further, but he dared not waste what little mana he had left.

  David helped him to his feet. Igri was awake again, dazed but alive.

  “I can’t believe you survived that…” David muttered.

  Nikolai glanced at the bloody sword in his hand. “Yeah, me neither.”

  “What now? We need to get out of here,” David said.

  Nikolai nodded, looking at the four others still huddled nearby. “Can they move? I don’t have enough left to heal them.”

  “They’ll move,” David said grimly. “They have to. But what about the guards upstairs?”

  Nikolai groaned. “Right… of course there are more.. How many?”

  David hesitated. “Maybe three or four? None as strong as Barry. He was one of the lieutenants.” His expression shifted to horror. “Oh shit—he was one of the lieutenants. They’re going to hunt us down!”

  Nikolai sighed. “Right. Search him. He’ll have keys or something useful. Check Larry too.”

  David nodded, and he and Igri began searching the corpses while Nikolai tried to form a plan—any plan.