Even if Gem had not seen the limits of the Tenzo boy’s potency for herself, the sluggishness of his movements would have given her an idea. He began attempting to stumble back from her attack by the time she came within two paces of him, yet the disparity in speed was such that there was nothing his body could do to take itself from the path of her dagger.

Gem had expected the blade to viciously dig into his body, to see the serrated edge disappear beneath his flesh and release a spurt of crimson life into the air. Instead, it simply passed through him- giving nothing but the slightest tug, much like what may have come from a thin string being snapped by its momentum- to even indicate the metal had passed through anything at all.

The lack of any discernible injury caught Gem entirely off-guard, however she quickly regained her bearings and leapt aside once more. It was a fortunate thing, too, as a searingly bright jet of flame broke against the ground on which she had placed her feet an instant prior.

The falling ash halted, then reversed as a wave of pressure was projected outwards by the detonation- joined in the air by the already stagnant masses piled on the ground.

She could feel the thermal discharge from ten feet away, and it left no doubt in her mind that the single blast would have left the ground in the exact same charred state it was, even if it had not already been laid to waste.

The density of charred ground billowing in all directions was almost enough to make Gem miss the inky-black shape shifting towards her. She side-stepped just in time to make Tenzo’s attack graze her side rather than strike it cleanly, suppressing a satisfied grin as the sharpened darkness slid harmlessly from her barely-scratched armour.

There was another burst of light coming from the same direction as the shadowy-projectile, Gem felt her eyes burn with pain as the sudden brightness forced them shut. Before she could so much as consider the cause, her chest was subjected to a great pain, and her body suddenly felt extraordinarily weightless.

All sound disappeared, replaced with the familiar rushing of wind in her ears- a moment later Gem felt something give way beneath her back, the world spun and became a mass of debris and dust mixed with cinders and ash. She found herself lying on her front, struggling to breath after having the breath knocked from her lungs and surrounded by piles of crumbling mortar and brickwork.

Her ears still rang, and her eyes could see nothing but ash- mind awhir Gem found herself beginning to panic as she scrambled to a stand. That was bad. As Karma would say, panicking was defeat.

Straining every ounce of her mind, Gem forced her third eye open once more- peering through the cloud of debris and glimpsing something heading towards her. She’d forgotten the colour of each contestant’s magic, but the writhing mass of energy headed towards her was one she’d have recognised anywhere- like a swarm of carnivorous insects. The vampire.

There was no time to think, nor to search for her other two enemies, so Gem simply concentrated on defending herself as best she could. Building magic in her core, she became acutely aware of her own skin- the way it covered every inch of her body, and the uncountable number of pores it held. Suddenly, her skin was a container for the power raging within her- and each of those pores was a vent.

Splaying her arms wide, Gem unleashed the tempest of magic she’d generated in the pit of her stomach just as the mass of light that was Simona came within a handful of paces. The power exited her in all directions, simultaneously a deadly thermal event and a wall of kinetic force. Everything, even the glow of her enemy’s magic, disappeared as Gem’s eyes were drowned in the unnaturally harsh light of her attack.

She could feel her eardrums vibrating inside her, and a moment later her very bones seemed to rattle beneath her skin. Tears streaming down her face, Gem suddenly found herself quite tired. All the same, as she tentatively opened her still-sore eyes, a triumphant smile found its way onto her face.

The wall Gem had been launched through was gone, as was the building in which she’d landed. The air around her was still filled with ash, though not as much as before. It was strange to see the after effects of that particular technique lacking any steam, though that was likely due to the already-dehydrated environment.

Third eye still activated, Gem quickly scanned the vicinity- locating the glimmer of Simona some thirty metres away, and spotting the reddish aura of Ajoke immediately after. The Bârëi girl, unlike the vampire, was standing- though she was roughly as far away.

Gem realised the incendiary attack had likely come from her, and based on its intensity she’d either devoted most of her potency into it or made use of some particularly powerful casts. Given the distance she’d chosen to keep, it was likely the former.

Against her every instinct, Gem took her eyes off both opponents and began scanning the nearby area- desperately searching for a trace of Tenzo’s magic. She saw none, and before she could even consider searching more thoroughly she saw movement in the corner of her eye.

The vampire was back on her feet, and rushing forwards. Gem went to tighten her grip on the knife in her hand, only to realise it was gone- she cursed herself at the realisation that her blast had thrown it away, then concentrated on the approaching threat.

Throwing her hand up, Gem pushed magic out through the palm- sending it flying towards Simona in a brilliant, pale blue spray of semi-fluid power. The vampire’s eyes widened as she leapt aside just in time to avoid a direct hit, the blast ripping through the air next to her and singing the sides of her crimson clothing.

Gem kept an eye on the cloud of magic around the girl, charging up a second blast while she did. Based on how little the light was diminished, it seemed her physical enhancement was draining very little from her reserves- though that was to be expected, as a vampire her capacity would be naturally higher than equal-strength mystics of a different species. The drawback to this was her inability to naturally recover it at any practical speed over time.

If a vampire wanted to replenish their magic reserves, they needed blood.

Another gout of fire erupted from Ajoke’s position, confirming Gem’s suspicion that the girl was responsible for the flames. As the inferno drew near, she noticed it spreading apart- magical fire was extremely powerful, but unstable. The farther it was used from, the more of it would go to waste.

Reaching within herself, Gem grasped hold of that second source of power- not her magic, but her anti-magic. Throwing her hand outward, she unleashed it upon the oncoming flames. Her attack struck dead-centre, forcing the magical energy to disperse and parting the billowing conflagration before it could reach her.

The vampire had righted herself, so Gem regathered more magic and hurled it at her. She was closer this time, and her projectile gave its target less time to react- striking her in the ribs and sending her flying back, flipping head over heels from the force. She didn’t see where the girl landed, instead turning her third eye desperately on her surroundings.

She could knock the enemies around all she liked, but without her dagger Gem would have no chance of scoring the necessary points to win. There was little left of the building’s walls, which made her suspect that her omni-directional blast may well have thrown her blade free as well. It had certainly drained her magic reserves, and its power was no greater than a direct hit from her regular attacks- the only reason she’d used it had been to ensure her safety from flanking maneuvers.

That was a judgement call she very much regretted.

The floor was relatively clear, which was a comfort for all of three seconds before Gem realised that her failing to immediately spot the blade under such circumstances implied it was no longer in the room.

She felt her chest tighten with panic, yet forced her gaze away from the floor all the same.

Simona was still on the ground, and Ajoke seemed unwilling to attack Gem on her own even from afar. Yet Tenzo was still nowhere to be seen, that was a concern.

She stumbled out of the remnants of the building, entering the alley to its left and scanning the ground for her lost weapon. By the time her heart had beat a half-dozen times, she’d still seen no trace of it. Firing a glance back over her shoulder, Gem saw the vampire beginning to climb to her feet. She swore under her breath before turning to face the girl.

It was luck, not skill, which let her see Tenzo’s movement in the corner of her eye as he stepped out from behind what was left of a wall to her right. She spun, feeling energy crackle between her fingers as she raised her hand to attack him. She was faster, but he’d prepared his attack already, and with only three metres between them Gem could barely even take a step before a fist of darkness crunched into her chest and threw her backwards.

Drool escaped from her mouth and Gem sputtered for air, her back battering flat the alleyway wall as her momentum dragged her further on into the next building. She made an effective projectile, barely stopping upon contact with the second wall- and filling the air with the sound of its brickwork cracking.

Instinct screamed for her to fold over and collapse onto her knees, yet she knew that to do so was to invite defeat. Gritting her teeth with the effort, she forced herself to straighten up as she brought her eyes to face the direction she’d flown from. Just in time to see Tenzo reach her.

Her arms shot up to stop him, but it was too late- the blade passed through her right arm, leaving a cold trail within, and sank into her body. She gasped at the frostiness of it, momentarily seizing in reflexive shock at the unexpected sensation. It was as if she’d been run through with an icicle, the cold seeping into her muscles and lulling them into inactivity.

Gem inhaled, her head clearing fractionally enough for her to realise her situation once more. Her arms had both stretched outwards automatically upon her stomach meeting with the dagger, she brought them forward to strike the one responsible. The moments for which she had been immobile, however, had been time enough for even the extremely slow boy to lunge back- black shrouds billowing in his wake like a spectre.

As he retreated, Tenzo raised his free right hand and gestured towards her. Gem saw the writhing blackness clinging to his arm, as though the night sky had been robbed of its stars and molded into a weapon. The boy was out of reach, but he was still close- too close to dodge.

It’s better to take a hit well than dodge it badly, Karma had once said. Resigning herself, Gem crouched and raised her forearms in front of her body.

Her armour was flexible and light-weight, designed to ward off slashes rather than bludgeoning. It seemed the shadow-mage had realised this, as when his attack landed against Gem’s guard, it was like a giant’s club.

The already tortured wall fell under the added punishment and Gem felt her body slide backwards, yet this time her momentum ceased after barely a foot. When a mystic didn’t want to move, their body could, defying all laws of inertia and acceleration, resist as much force as it could apply.

Tenzo surely knew this, for he didn’t hesitate to try and put more distance between himself and Gem. He must have been banking on his attack to send her farther back, however, for even though Gem herself was no physical specialist, she moved half again as quickly as he did. By the time he had made it halfway to the exit her impact had made in the opposite side of the room, she had made it three quarters of the way to him.

The boy swung his dagger upwards, sending it arching towards Gem’s throat- a good slash for an amatuer, but one which simply lacked the physical ability to be a real threat. She slapped his arm aside, sending him off-balance for a moment before slamming her heel into the space where his stomach met his chest.

It was his turn to be sent flying backwards, and his form quickly disappeared into another building. Gem realised that, surrounded by fragile walls as she was, the other two contestants had all the chances in the world to attack from her blindspot. There was only one effective option at her disposal, and she found herself trembling slightly in reluctance.

Concentrating her magic once more, Gem tapped into her unsettlingly dwindling reserves- finding nearly a fifth of them had been used already- and projected the energy out from inside herself, venting it through her legs. In an instant she was launched from the ground, shattering the ceiling, then the ceiling of the house’s second floor- a moment later the roof, too, gave way as she struck it. And then she was in the air.

Gem relaxed her magic, cutting off the source of her flight and allowing her momentum to carry her upwards more gently. She glanced down, straining both her physical and magical vision to peer through the thick, airborne ash and grinning with satisfaction to see that Ajoke and Simona had, indeed, surrounded the building. She was too high up to make out their faces, but she’d have loved to see their reaction.

But there was no time for enjoyment, she needed to use her chance well. As Gem felt gravity begin to take hold of her, she released just another jet of power- this time to send her to one side, closer to the building she’d obliterated with her omni-directional blast.

The daggers phased through people when they cut, and it was likely they gave some indication of what constituted a “stab” as well. Given that, there was every chance they were at least slightly magical. That gave Gem a chance to find hers.

She washed her gaze over the area, studying the scorched terrain and architecture one square metre at a time in the desperate hopes of glimpsing something, anything, which might lead her to her fallen weapon. She was acutely aware of both gravity pulling her back towards the ground and her enemies preparing to attack her, likely the moment she came within range. And yet she pushed such thoughts from her mind, giving every ounce of her focus to the search.

By the time she’d fallen to barely ten metres up, she spotted... something. A glint amidst the black, so minuscule that she needed to stare at it for a solid second to be sure she’d seen it at all. But she had most certainly seen it.

Gem channelled more magic, launching herself in the direction of the spark of magic. Not for the first time, she cursed her lack of control- overshooting her mark considerably and landing in a roll against the ground. She scrambled to her feet, knowing that she had only a brief window to search.

The spot where she’d noticed the dagger remained fixed in her mind, but it had been taken from far above- on the ground everything looked frustratingly similar. Gem sifted through the ash, kicking great sprays of it aside as she searched and knowing all the while that every moment brought her enemies closer to her. She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, someone charging at her- and at the same time she saw the same glow of magic she’d witnessed from above.

Diving for the light, her fingers disappeared under the ash and closed around a familiar shape. Gem spun as Simona charged at her. The girl’s head was stained red, Gem realised, blood leaking down- she must have cut it open with one of her attacks.

Burying her twinge of guilt, she brought her newly-found dagger back around in an arc and swung it for the vampire’s throat. Feeling the same, satisfied tug as the metal passed harmlessly through the girl’s flesh- and as the woman stumbled back to avoid a second hit, Gem raised her hand to unleash a blast of magic.

There was a blur of colour, and Gem’s cheek suddenly felt hot and wet. Instinctively she dabbed it with the back of her free left hand, glancing at her pale skin to see it stained red as it came away. Before she could begin to decipher what had happened, the vampire laughed and there was yet more shifting colour. A spatter of deep crimson shot towards Gem, sending her stumbling aside to gracelessly avoid it. Even so, the attacks struck her uniform- glancing away and leaving yet more scratches in the hard material.

There was a flash from Gem’s left, and a building disappeared in an inferno. She threw herself to the ground, feeling Ajoke’s attack pass over her and gritting her teeth as the heat raised blisters on her flesh. The moment the temperature dropped, Gem began to get to her feet, blinking the ash from her teary-eyes and shifting her gaze frantically to locate her enemies.

Tenzo leapt from a cloud of shadows, woven so perfectly as to make its texture almost indistinguishable from the ash around it. Had it not been for Gem’s third eye, she’d have been unable to react in time to slam her foot into his chest and send him flying back into the top floor of another building. The moment she took to do so was near-fatal, however, as the vampire took the chance to close in and slash at her.

Gem thrust her hand out and fired a poorly-aimed blast in response, cursing under her breath as the magic detonated against the floor in front of her target and filled the air with even more cinders. The spray of ash provided a temporary smokescreen, however, and she made quick use of it by stepping forward and dragging her blade through. It was almost a surprise when she felt the tell-tale tugging sensation.

Swearing came from the obscured figure in the ash cloud, though as it cleared Gem could make out Simona’s form more clearly. Not eager to give the vampire a chance to counter-attack, she filled her feet with magic anew and released it in an arc.

The world blurred around her as the sound of crumbling mortar from the still-collapsing buildings was reduced to a stretched whine, and less than a heartbeat later Gem felt her raised forearms meet resistance.

Her precision when flying was poor, but it seemed luck had prevailed where skill had failed- Ajoke Balogun cried out as her body folded over on impact, Gem’s momentum forcing her backwards and sending both of them smashing into yet another building. The world flipped over and over, rolling with Gem as she held her eyes tightly shut against the charred debris through which she was sliding.

She felt Ajoke disappear from under her, and before the sound of crushed mortar and whirring air had even left her ears she struggled to her feet. Looking hastily around the room, Gem saw the Bârëi princess beginning to stand. She was fast, considering her focus lay on ranged combat rather than physical enhancement. Gem was faster.

Gem stepped in and swung a kick, but Balogun came up swinging her dagger. The blade met her ankle, numbing everything beneath it as it dragged harmlessly through the flesh. Feeling the fire of indignance at being caught off-guard so easily, Gem moved in to claim a point of her own while she tried to count how many lives she’d lost.

Tenzo had hit her, but his blade had passed through both a limb and her torso. Did she have three lives remaining, or only two?

Ajoke banished Gem’s thoughts as she charged her once more, clearly thinking that she had her on the backfoot and could exploit the opening. Gem brought the mistake to her attention as she grabbed her wrist with her free hand, finding herself grinning at the strength difference as she forced the girl’s dagger away with barely any strain.

Balogun began to raise her free hand for an attack, but Gem stuck her chest before she got the chance- relishing the shocked widening of the girl’s eyes as the frosty feeling seeped into her. Bringing her own blade back, Gem went to stab once more- only to gasp and freeze with surprise as she felt the same sensation creeping directly into her spine.

Without realising, she opened the fingers of her left hand- allowing Ajoke to pull her arm free and stumble back- falling and scrambling across the ground in her haste to escape. Gem didn’t care, she spun to face the one responsible for taking yet another one of her precious lives.

Tenzo had already gone to leap back as she whirled to him, yet if the speed gap between herself and Ajoke had been large, it was practically oceanic between her and him. Gem rushed in, raising her dagger in a familiar grip- aiming to feint and rake it across his arm after he brought his own blade up to parry. Her eagerness to score another point and avenge her hit, however, blinded her to the shifting mass of shadows until it was too late to avoid.

The attack crunched into her stomach, and a moment later the vacuous pain drew her into herself- forcing her to fold over even as she fought tooth and nail to inhale. Her vision was blurred, but not so much that she didn’t see the boy closing in with his dagger raised. Gem brought a hand up- filling it with power and preparing to unleash it on him. Instead, she was flung from her feet as something else hit her from the side.

Her elbow scraping painfully across the ground, and a deep ache piercing half the ribs on her left, Gem barely planted her feet beneath herself- sliding backwards as she stumbled away. As she lifted her head, she was met with the sight of both Tenzo and a newly-recovered Simona.

Hundreds of crimson beads hung in the air between them, and each one of the mystics, Gem included, froze- as unmoving as the drops themselves. Slowly, incredibly slowly, the red pellets began to shift closer to one another. Whenever two of them met, they would break apart, lose their shapes and then reform together with their volumes combined.

As the spheres’ numbers grew smaller, so too did their masses grow larger. In only a brief time they had finished combining, forming a single mass of liquid- half as wide and high as a person’s head. Gem found herself transfixed by the sight of it, yet somehow repulsed.

“Do you like it?” The vampire asked, dragging Gem’s attention to her. “I’ll give you a free point if you can guess what my ability is.”

Gem didn’t answer, simply taking a defensive stance and preparing to weather any attack which might come her way. Shadows began to wrap around Tenzo’s hands, and the crimson sphere trembled with barely-contained energy. All the same, part of Gem was still focused on Balogun. The teamwork of her attackers was terrible, but if nothing else they seemed to understand just how unnerving an unseen enemy was.

For several agonising moments, nobody moved. Each contestant present seemed to have silently decided on a counter, and in the absence of any shifts made by their enemies, had no cause to do anything. Deadlocks like these, Gem recalled, were best broken quickly, and by oneself.

Biting back her fear, she charged.

***

Karma found herself frowning as she watched Gem rush in for more conflict. She could remember telling the girl such aggression was her best bet in a situation like that, but it was hard to believe she’d actually listened. Perhaps, Karma mused, she had simply stumbled onto the course of action.

The scrying slate showed Gem’s silent battle, though the word scramble would likely have suited it better. When fighting multiple opponents at once, the best path to victory was to concentrate on stunning them one at a time, either launching them from the fight, dazing them with strikes to the head or some other way. By doing so, the battle could become several one-on-one fights rather than a single individual against a group.

Stories of heroes defeating multiple enemies at once generally involved a bridge, corridor or some other tight place which allowed only a single direction of attack.

Gem was not managing to keep the battle a one-on-one, however she did seem to be using her head. Simona, the vampire, was the closest to her in physical abilities, and she was the enemy Gem was avoiding most. Tenzo was the slowest and easiest to hit, and since the fight continued inside the building Gem had already scored another hit on him- bringing him down a second life.

Something bothered Karma, however. As another conflagration hurled towards Gem from Balogun’s outheld arms, only to break against a hastily- and inefficiently- constructed shield, she found her fist clenching in worry.

Gem was using far too much of her magic reserves. In a contest like this, striking the enemy with physical attacks to hurt and slow them rather than simply scoring a point with the daggers may well have been a viable strategy. For Gem, who lacked the experience to reliably strike the most debilitating areas of her enemy, it was not.

Karma had been keeping track of Gem’s magic usage. Her main ability was a form of energy projection unique to the Menza family, powerful but quite draining on one’s reserves. The first major use of it had been the blast she’d used to level the first building, one which Karma had always worried about. A blast like that would ordinarily see its destructive power plummet, in Gem’s case it could hit just as hard as her regular blasts due to making use of two casts.

The first gave it a cooldown, requiring around a minute, from the perspective of one with the user’s perception of time, before it could be used again. The second, however, was that it drained an alarming amount of magic reserve.

Tenzo began launching one shadowy attack after another at the silver haired girl, forcing Gem to respond with yet another barrier. The pitch-black projectiles shattered into nothing against the silvery-blue shield, yet a moment later they were joined by another incendiary attack from Balogun. The light was too intense for Karma to make out Gem’s expression, but she knew what her friend must have been feeling.

Shock, surprise, confusion, fear. All the things that went through a prodigy’s head when they found something they couldn’t do.

The barrier would give soon, Karma could tell that much. With how hard it was being hit Gem must have been pouring enormous amounts of her reserves into just keeping it active at all. Once it fell, there would be no chance to replace it with another.

Seconds passed, and each new gout of flames or slash of shadows reached just that small bit closer to Gem before dissipating. Karma found herself leaning forwards as she watched, fingers digging into the oak of her table and digging into the fragile material.

“Come on Gem,” she whispered foolishly, apparently thinking desperation could bridge the gap of distance. “I can think of two ways to get out of this, please think of one.”

Nonetheless, Gem remained trapped behind her own shield, and her enemy’s attacks came closer and closer by the moment. Finally, however, they stopped. The vampire, Simona, slashed both of her allies- her blades phasing through their bodies as if they were liquid. For a moment neither of them moved, by the time they had begun to spin around to meet the new threat, the threat had the chance to strike them both once more.

The fight was short and swift, and Karma found herself staring intently at how it went. By the end, however, there was only one remaining.

***

Gem gasped in relief as the sudden pressure disappeared from her shield. Her arms were numb, her head throbbed with pain, and she suddenly felt so excruciatingly hungry. All of these symptoms were something she’d have struggled to recognise if it weren’t for the testaments of others.

Arcane sickness, the consequence of using too much of one’s magic reserves too quickly.

She wanted to wait for her head to clear, for her vision to fix itself- for the splitting headache to subside and let her open her third eye once more. And yet above all things, Gem wanted to stop torturing herself even more by sustaining her barrier.

Letting her arms fall, she cut off the supply of her magic reserves which had been feeding the wall of energy around her- watching with bleary eyes as it collapsed and the blue sheen in front of her fell away.

She’d expected to see the other contestants for a moment before they fell upon her with their daggers. Instead, she saw only the vampire.

“I was wondering how long you’d keep it up,” the girl purred- stepping towards Gem as if she were strolling along a beach. Gem hurriedly went to stand, feeling vomit begin to crawl up her throat as her stomach churned with the movement.

For all her agony, she’d managed to keep her physical enhancement magic active- yet as the arcane sickness-induced disorientation reached a new height, she couldn’t help but dismiss even that passive, unstrenuous ability.

Even as the vampire approached, Gem’s throbbing headache and writhing stomach compelled her to do nothing more than fall back down.

“I’m actually surprised how easily I was able to take the others out,” the vampire continued- now within a few paces. Her voice was strangely fast and hard to follow- a side effect of speaking to one whose perception of time was far slower. The rapid way in which her words were formed and spoken seemed to almost deliberately contrast the lazy complacence behind each one.

“That’s mostly your doing though,” the vampire continued. “I knew from the moment I saw you that you’d make an excellent toy.”

Gem’s head began to clear, and she found a great chill running down her spine- the smile on the vampire’s face was, by all measures, far smaller and more constrained than the last, undoubtedly closer to that of a regular person. And yet there was something behind her eyes that made it unspeakably worse.

She was quite sure that her third eye could be opened, with some effort. And yet Gem found herself trembling at the thought of what she’d see in Simona’s magic.

Shakily, she began to force herself to her feet- feeling deep inside herself for that familiar pool of magic, then despairing at its emptiness. Being generous she had perhaps a fortieth left, barely a scrap. As Gem prepared to reactivate her physical enhancement, she began to gather anti-magic in her remaining hand.

Had she been mistaken to barely use it before now? No, in a fight against multiple enemies, even ones slower than her, opting away from the longer-to-charge anti-magic had been the right choice.

Gem’s thoughts were dashed by sheer terror as she felt something so foreign she’d almost have refused to believe it. Before she even brought her physical enhancement to bear, her magic reserves began to decrease further. It was a terrifying sensation, one which made her want to stare at her own body- as if doing so would let her peer inside the non-physical space at which she was being assailed.

She didn’t need to bother, however, as out of the corner of her eye, she saw more tiny, glistening crimson beads- this time flowing towards Simona from her. As Gem stared down, she realised they were being plucked from the cuts and scrapes she’d suffered to her hands, and the gash across her cheek.

The vampire extended an impossibly long tongue as the drops of blood reached her, licking them out of the air and rubbing her lips exaggeratedly together as if they were the greatest delicacy in the world.

“I think I’m just about at full strength now,” she mused.

Gem hadn’t activated her physical enhancement, and yet she still turned on her heel and sprinted for the exit. Before she could get even a step she felt a terrible weight overcome her. Strong hands wrapped around her arms, swinging her body- now weighing no more than normal- through the air and releasing it. Gem felt her insides flip over and over as she fell, then gasped upon landing heavily on her back- the air driven from her.

She stared up at the ruined ceiling, trying and failing to make her body move in spite of the pain wracking its every cell. Her head spun, numb and throbbing at the impact simultaneously, and it occurred to her that without her enhanced durability, she may well have just had her skull cracked open. Were these her last moments of life?

The thought was interrupted as something shifted in her vision, and Simona appeared on top of her. The vampire knelt on either side of Gem’s ribs, pinning her in place and staring down at her with eyes just as red as the blood she’d used to win. Instinctively, Gem’s right arm came up for a punch. Her knuckles connected solidly against the woman’s jaw, and yet her head barely shifted at all.

Agony exploded under their skin, streaking down the back of Gem’s hand and permeating her wrist. Tears filled her eyes as a distant cry reached her ears, and after a few moments she realised it was coming from her.

“Oh you poor thing,” the vampire grinned in a voice that seemed oh-so far away. “I’ll bet this is the first time in your life you’ve ever been completely helpless, right? Well, what’s say we make the most of it?”

Gem wanted to do something, she wanted to throw the woman off, to strike her again and watch her stupid face crumple under her strength. And yet another punch would only serve to injure her own hand, and even as she desperately bucked with every ounce of her strength, the vampire barely even shifted.

With horror, Gem watched as Simona brought a hand down to her side- gently pressing her fingers against her body and feeling around, apparently looking for something. After barely an instant, she found it.

With a sudden and impossible strength, the woman’s thumb dug into Gem’s rib. Without magic to reinforce it, the bone quickly gave way under her digit, snapping like a twig underfoot. There was a moment of numbness, where Gem felt nothing but the shifting inside her flesh as the vibrations ran through her body, and then the pain hit her like a carriage.

It started at the exact location of her rib, but quickly snaked outward- permeating the area around it and digging deeper inside her abdomen like fingers of molten metal, searing every nerve they rubbed against as they burrowed ever further.

Her first instinct was to scream, yet as her chest went to generate the noise it jarred her injury- sending more waves of electric pain reverberating through her torso and rendering her agonised cry nothing more than a strangled gasp.

For a few seconds that was all there was, Gem sputtering for air- tears streaming from her eyes and sending warm trails down the sides of her head while the torment continued. Her legs kicked out in a vain attempt to displace the vampire, yet the woman remained as unmoved as ever. She found herself taking small, shallow breaths in rapid succession- the only way to continue breathing without bringing on a new onslaught of misery. She turned her head away, and yet Simona grasped her chin- turning Gem’s head and forcing it to face her.

“Look at me while we’re playing, Gemini.” The vampire snarled.

Before Gem could even feel fear at the sight of her torturer’s sudden fury, the woman reached down to her side once more- and she felt the snapping of another rib.

It was hard for Gem to keep track of what was happening next. Hard to know how long it took, what specifically was done, or really to take note of anything. Nothing existed for her but the pain, even the voice of Simona seemed a fuzzy, barely-audible thing. Background noise to the sound of her breaking bones and pathetic whimpering.

It was a bizarre thing, the pain. After a while her mind seemed to leave it behind- escaping into itself and building a shield of thought. Was this her? The next pinnacle of magic? A victim? A little girl crying as she was bullied?

She was dragged from her thoughts by another snapping, and another wave of agony.

As the latest installation of torment began to fade, Gem found herself overcome by a great clarity.

She was helpless. She had accepted that. So why did her hands continue to move? Why did her arms flap around so pitifully? Slapping the ground, spraying ash in all directions? She likely resembled a wounded bird more than a mystic.

Another rib caved in, and Gem disappeared into the white misery once more. When she reemerged, however, she noticed something peculiar. The fingers of her right hand had brushed against something unknown, yet vaguely familiar. Hard, but with an almost fabric-like texture, far longer than it was wide.

She wasn’t sure what possessed her to act, but act she did. Her fingers closed around the strange object, and though it brought yet more dreaded pain onto her, her body shifted to bring her arm upwards. Whatever the object was, it was covered with ash- yet all the same Gem saw a metallic gleam just an instant before it met its mark in Simona.

There was a brilliant flash of light, and Gem felt the world begin to shift around her. She dimly wondered why, but found herself drifting away into sleep rather than giving the query any more consideration.