“You dare lift your hand against me?” said Adahlia. Her eyes brimmed with fire that promised all forms of violence. A controlled smile gave her face the appearance of a beast about to strike. Thorns sprouted all over her hands, piercing out of her skin like dozens of blisters.

For some reason, Maitho knew that she wouldn’t hold back her powers against him. It didn’t matter if she had wanted him to join her team, nor was it important that they needed him to serve some purpose he was still clueless about. All that mattered was that she believed that he had crossed a line that no one who knew her would dare to cross. Maitho hoped that whatever power had helped him earlier would come back to his aid again. He had no idea how he was even able to look through time in that manner. It was like he was replaying an event an looking at all its possible conclusions. He almost felt like someone behind the lens of a microscope, with the exception that the entity on the piece of glass was his future.

Despite the need to conjure his powers, Maitho oddly did not feel any fear. If a deathblow was served to him, then he would eat it as though it was his last meal on the planet. There was no point in trying to avoid his fate. Whatever came for him was probably what was meant for him.

Maitho straightened himself. His body faced Adahlia. His gaze was locked onto hers, while his hands were by his side. He had been looking away for far too long, avoiding obstacles at every turn. At the first chance he received, he would consider the idea of escaping.

After watching Quinn being ripped apart to halves, something had changed within Maitho. He didn't feel the urge to run away. Instead, he wanted to stand and fight.

All the ideas that came to his mind were not able to give him any answer. So he tuned them out. He would run on instincts now, even though that was never the way he approched a problem. His senses honed in on the world in front of him. Even if Adahlia’s attacks ripped through his flesh, he would find a way to hurt her pride. Let this be his last moment. He would show her how weak she really was in the end.

For some reason, Adahlia did not attack him. It was unnerving to watch her look at him as though she was scrutinizing a strange specimen in a lab.

Was she trying to analyze him? Or was she waiting for him to attack first?

Maitho felt the anger within him swell again. He pointed his shotgun at Adahlia, letting go of one round. The rubber bullet was within a feet of the woman before it was snatched away midair by a tendril of root that had sprung out of the ground faster than Maitho could catch its movement. But he wasn’t deterred. He wasn’t going to stop.

Another bullet departed from the barrel, only to have itself plucked from air by another root. Subsequent shots made it seem as though Maitho was playing a game of catch with his shotgun, and he was losing. The gun, having run out of bullets, eventually made a clicking sound. Maitho pulled the trigger two more times, as though he could magically conjure ammunition through sheer power of will. When he realized that there was nothing more he could do except use the shotgun itself as a hand-held weapon, he flipped it around and caught its forearm. for some reason, he didn't want to catch the barrel. Some unknown fear within him made him feel as though the weapon could be hot, even though the weapon had fired rubber bullets. But rather than correct that fear using his rationality, he simply chose to ignore it. His instincts had taken over. His mind was paying attention to just one goal; hurt Adahlia.

He took a step forward. A pointed branch pierced the sole of his shoe and punched through his feet. The pain was indescribable. It shocked him into breaking his attention on Adahlia. He looked down and saw the branch sticking out of the top of his footwear, his laces pushed aside like dead worms. Part of his mind wanted to attend to the injury. But another part of his mind, the one that was still filled with rage, reminded him of what he should be doing.

He allowed a scream to escape his lips, but clenched his teeth. This was not how it would play out. Not if he still had the ability to move. Taking a few quick breaths, Maitho began to pull his leg free. Each miniscule movement felt like something was tearing the muscles in his leg apart.

Adahlia raised one eyebrow, looking bemused. “Are you really that angry Maitho? I’m actually curious. Are you going to give up your life just to reach me?”

Maitho didn’t answer. He forced himself to focus on the progress he was making. Another scream pushed itself free from his mouth without his permission. His mind went blank with the pain.

“This is boring to watch,” said Adahlia.

She snapped her fingers. A pointed branch the width of a human leg broke the concrete in front of Maitho. It was angled towards him. Before he could register its movements, it pierced his abdomen.

This time, Maitho couldn’t register anything else except the pain. It had taken over his world. His vision was a sea of stars and odd colors glowing in and out of existence. He felt his forehead heat up, possibly because of a fever that seemed to hit him all of a sudden. His whole face flushed. He didn’t know how it had happened, but his hands were already gripping the branch, trying to free it in vain from his body.

“I’m still trying really hard to keep you alive,” said Adahlia. “Don’t make me change my mind.”

The words entered Maitho's mind, but they didn't reigster at first. All he could think of was trying to gain some relief from the agony that was coursing through his midsection. His fight-or-flight instncts took over. Using what strength he had left, he pushed against the branch. More screams wanted to break free, but he clamped his mouth shut, instead forming a constant stream of hums. His vision blacked out a few times, but each time he gained power over his consciousness, he began to push.

This was stupid. It was doing nothing but causing him more pain. Even if he did break free, Adahlia had all the power in the world to stop him again and send another painful attack. He understood his situation. Yet despite everything, he still didn’t care. His sole purpose had been distilled into one simple rule. He wanted to cause some degree of pain to Adahlia, however small it may be. He owed it to Quinn.

Adahlia frowned. “You are not going to stop, which is unfortunate.” She raised her hands.

Before Maitho could realize it, more spiked branches burst out from the ground. They attacked several parts of his body. They punched through his thighs. They pierced his arms. One even punctured his back, exiting through chest and nearly missing his heart.

After that, he didn’t know what happened. He must have remained in that position for a few moments or several hours. All he knew was that he had blacked out. A memory burst into his mind. It was the scene at the cafe a couple of days earlier. He watched the Celtic team approaching him. Their faces were clear in his memory. He began to wonder what would have happened if he had rejected their offer and decided to walk away. Would he still be feeling the pain he was feeling right now?

Then he remembered Quinn. Even though he was a stranger, the car had treated him with respect. He was shown kindness when he wasn’t even certain if he deserved it. The memory shifted, like sands being disturbed. This time, he found himself on the vast expanse of plains that stretched to the horizon in Qunn’s alternate dimension. It was one of the most calming moments in Maitho’s life. He felt as though he didn’t have to think about anything. There would be no more thoughts about the end of his life, even though he would still be moving closer to his death. He didn’t have to worry about grand plots and small schemes. There were no betrayals in that space. Quinn had even offered to let him stay there for as long as he liked.

And what did the car get for his kindness? An end that he didn’t deserve.

Maitho’s eyes opened briefly. He realized that it was because someone was holding his chin. His eyes found Adahlia’s and the woman cocked her head to one side. The smile on her face was like a beast pleased to have trapped its prey. “What did you get out of all of this?” she said. “Why do you have to be so stubborn? Why can’t you just let things happen?”

She pushed at his cheeks with force, causing him to look away. Maitho allowed it to happen. He didn’t even have the strength for small movements.

That was when the lightning struck the ground where he was looking. For a moment, he thought it was a trick of his mind that was trying to deal with the pain. Then the boom followed. The sound jolted him awake. He faced forward, noticing that Adahlia had taken several steps back.

She looked up to one side, her eyebrows collapsing into a frown. Maitho followed her point of focus and saw a man standing there.

Raiden walked towards them, his entire body dancing with bursts of electrical discharge. “Ah Maitho,” he said. “Looks like you have gotten yourself in the midst of another predicament.” He offered a smile, but it contained none of the malice that Adahlia’s reaction displayed. “At this rate, you should hire me to be your bodyguard. Mind you, my rates are steep.”

“What are you doing here Raiden?” said Adahlia.

Raiden spread his arms. “I’m trying to stop this from becoming worse.”

“It’s not becoming worse. It is actually turning out to be better than expected.” Adahlia turned her attention from Raiden and looked at Maitho. She seemed pleased. “Make sure you also know who you follow. I am the second-in-command.”

“Oh that you are,” said Raiden. He raised one finger. “But it doesn't look good from where I am standing.”

Adahlia rolled her eyes. “Maybe you aren't paying proper attention.”

“I'm not sure,” responded Raiden. “Because it’s important to understand our friends here. Why do you think Maitho is so desperate to fight you?”

“Because I killed his friend.”

“And why was that necessary?”

Adahlia looked at Raiden. The look she gave him made Maitho realize that she would not hesitate to strike him down if it came to that. It seemed that she never accepted anyone who opposed her. “Don’t talk. You are part of our team and that’s the only reason I am even tolerating this conversation.”

Raiden raised his hands. “I’m not here to challenge you. I am here to make you understand. While we all have a purpose, we are not here to take lives, Adahlia.”

“What are you talking about?” she said, scoffing. “Lives will be taken.”

“But we aren’t going to murder them in cold blood.”

“That was a car. No need to feel childish emotions over an inanimate object.”

“That car was alive,” said Raiden. “It may be difficult for us to understand, but we need to give it the right respect.”

For a moment, Adahlia didn't say anything. Then she snapped her fingers. All the branches that had pierced Maitho’s body suddenly retracted into the ground. Pain flooded his entire body. Then there was blackness.