Chapter 114 Not Miles!!

Chapter 114: Chapter 114 Not Miles!!

Back at the island, the battle continued. For Astrid, it was beginning to look like a horror show. The mansion that had once stood proudly in the middle of the island was now a wreck—parts of the walls had been destroyed, the entrance had been ripped apart, and debris was scattered everywhere. The attackers had already broken through, and Astrid knew exactly what their goal was. They weren’t here to destroy the mansion—they were here to force everyone inside to come out.

"Check out all the security systems and see if any of them are working!" Miles instructed.

Astrid immediately rushed toward the walls, tapping every switch and control panel he could find. One—nothing. Another—nothing. He moved to the next panel and tried it again—still nothing. Behind him, Miles was surveying the ground. Three enormous sets of footsteps were approaching, each step causing the earth beneath them to tremble. But the leader of the attackers still hadn’t joined them. The figure remained standing at the edge of the island, completely still—he looked almost like a mannequin. He didn’t move. He didn’t speak. He simply watched. That alone made Astrid uncomfortable.

"There is a huge problem here," Astrid announced. "None of the traps are working. The same goes for every other switch I can find."

Miles stopped and stared at Astrid, then began pacing. "What now?" His voice carried genuine frustration. "I don’t have powers. I was depending on this place, and now I can’t actually help." He looked toward the approaching figures. "And fucking hell, these aren’t like the ones that came here previously. These are high forms of awakened. They look better, they’re faster, and—" He swallowed. "They don’t even look normal."

Astrid nodded. Of course he knew—Miles had warned them, and Astrid had warned them too. But knowing something was coming and actually watching it happen were two completely different things. "That’s what I’ve been saying," Astrid replied. "They’re going to call another set of people, and these ones look like the experimented awakened." He looked toward the approaching figures. "You don’t want to know what they can do."

A thunderous boom suddenly shook the island. The entire mansion trembled, dust fell from the ceiling, the ground beneath their feet shifted, and the remaining windows rattled violently. Miles grabbed the nearest wall to steady himself. "What the hell?"

Another boom followed—this one worse. The entire structure seemed to sway.

"So we fight?" Miles asked, turning toward Astrid. "Is that it? You’re an awakened, but what am I supposed to use? How exactly am I supposed to defend myself and this base?" He gestured toward the approaching monsters. "Guns?" His face twisted with disbelief. "Would that even work on these things? They don’t look human anymore. Look at those eyes!" Miles pointed toward one of them. "Those are the eyes of something sent here to obliterate anything that breathes." He facepalmed. "I know a bit of combat, but this feels like delaying the inevitable."

Astrid’s expression hardened. "I didn’t know it was going to be this bad either." He looked around the ruined mansion. "But remember this—we can’t let them take what Luna suffered to build."

Miles immediately looked at him. Astrid continued, "What happens if they come back and this place is gone?" Miles opened his mouth, but Astrid cut him off. "And that’s my problem?" His voice rose. "They shouldn’t have gone!" He pointed toward the destroyed entrance. "They wouldn’t have left if they knew this was going to happen. Look at the state of things now!" Miles shook his head. "Does Luna Hart seriously think we can stop this mess? We can’t!" He pointed at himself. "You might be able to fight them, but me? I’m useless in this kind of situation. I could get killed before I even step outside."

Before Astrid could answer—BOOM! The mansion door was ripped away. It crashed onto the floor with such force that the impact shattered what remained of the entrance. Dust exploded through the room.

Miles stared at the destroyed doorway, his face slowly twisting with anger. "You don’t do that in my house." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a gun. "And you could at least have some manners, bitch." He fired. The bullet flew straight toward the woman standing in the doorway.

Astrid’s eyes widened. But before the bullet could reach her—the weapon melted. The entire gun suddenly softened in Miles’ hand, metal twisting as the barrel drooped until it turned into something that looked like wax. Miles stared at it. Astrid’s jaw dropped. "What the—"

The woman stepped forward, but Astrid immediately moved. He raised both hands toward the ceiling, and the air around the woman suddenly tightened. Her body jerked upward, lifted off the ground.

"What are you—"

Astrid clenched his hands. A horrifying crack echoed through the room as the woman’s neck twisted—once, twice, again. Her body jerked violently in the air as Astrid’s hands moved closer together. Miles stared at him in confusion, then realized what Astrid was doing. Astrid wasn’t simply holding her—he was crushing her. His palms slowly folded together as though he were squeezing an invisible object, and whatever invisible force was between those hands was the woman. Another crack echoed, and her body went limp. Astrid released his power, and she dropped heavily to the floor.

Miles looked at Astrid. For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then a roar came from outside. The debris from the fallen doorway had filled the interior of the mansion, and the battle had already spilled into the open. A man charged forward, fire erupting from his hands.

"Astrid!" Miles reacted immediately. The flames rushed toward Astrid, and Miles grabbed the nearest thing he could find—a trash-can cover. He raised it like a shield. The flames slammed against it, and Miles grunted from the heat but held his ground. Then he swung—the metal cover sliced through the air and struck the attacker directly across the face. BANG! The man stumbled backward, blood spraying from his nose as he screamed and staggered, clutching his face.

Miles stared at the dented cover in his hands. "Okay." He breathed heavily. "That actually worked."

But there was no time to celebrate. The last woman approached, and Astrid immediately knew she was different. She was faster than the others—much faster. She moved with vicious precision, and there was something strange about her abilities. It wasn’t just one element—fire erupted from one hand, and at the same time, the ground beneath Miles shifted.

He barely managed to dodge the flames. They passed so close to his body that he felt the heat against his skin. He jumped backward, but his foot caught against debris and he stumbled. "Shit!" Before he could regain his balance, the woman struck the ground. The earth split, a massive crack tearing through the ground beneath Miles. He fell into the opening, his hands grabbing the edge as his legs dangled over the dark hole.

The woman walked toward him, smiling cruelly. Miles looked up. "Wait—"

The woman raised her hand, fire glowing in her palm. "Now should I bury you alive..." She tilted her head. "...or skin you alive?"

Miles’ eyes widened. "Why are those my only options?" She didn’t answer. She raised the flaming hand. Miles tried to pull himself up, but the ground crumbled beneath his fingers. He was about to fall.

Then—Astrid moved. He grabbed the nearest object—a normal door knob. It wasn’t a weapon, it wasn’t awakened equipment—it was literally just a door knob. Astrid threw himself forward and swung it with everything he had. CRACK! The metal struck the woman’s head. She staggered, her eyes rolling, then she collapsed—her body landing heavily on the ground beside the first awakened Astrid had already defeated.

Miles stared, then looked at the ridiculous weapon in Astrid’s hand. "You just knocked her out with a door knob."

Astrid didn’t answer. His eyes were burning with rage. But before either of them could breathe—a heavy presence descended over the island. The leader had finally moved. He stepped forward, his foot hitting the ground with a thunderous BOOM that made the entire island tremble.

Miles’ expression changed. Astrid immediately looked up. The man was coming toward them, and judging by the pressure surrounding him, he was far more dangerous than the others. He reached them in seconds. Astrid immediately moved toward Miles, who was still trapped inside the cracked ground. Astrid grabbed his arm. "Come on!" He pulled, and Miles managed to climb out.

But the leader landed in front of them, the impact sending another tremor through the ground. Then something happened that made both of them freeze. The bodies of the defeated awakened began to move. At first, Astrid thought they were simply twitching—then their limbs began dragging across the ground. Something dark spread over them.

The leader raised his hand, and the dead bodies suddenly lifted. Two of the awakened they had already killed were pulled together—their bodies twisting, bones cracking, flesh stretching as something stitched them together. Astrid’s face went pale. "What the hell is that?"

The creature that emerged was no longer human—it was a grotesque combination of the two bodies, stitched together into something monstrous. It let out a distorted roar. The leader stood behind it. Then the creature charged.

Astrid stepped in front of Miles. "Miles." "What?" Astrid reached for his arm. "You’re going to have some of my powers." Miles stared at him. "What?"

A heavy force suddenly pulled through Astrid’s body, his eyes turning red as power surged through the air. Miles gasped as something entered him, his entire body shuddering. Astrid released his hand. "Now let’s end these fuckers."

Before Miles could even finish reacting, Astrid flicked a finger. The monsters froze, their bodies suddenly hardening as stone spread over their skin. Within seconds, the creatures had completely transformed into statues. Miles stared at them. "What the hell?"

Astrid didn’t answer—his eyes had locked onto the leader. The man suddenly stopped moving, his body stiffening as his breathing stopped. For a moment, he looked as though he had been turned into a statue as well. Then he staggered, his knees nearly giving out as he fought against Astrid’s control. The man’s body trembled as he tried to raise his hand—nothing happened. He tried to activate his powers—nothing. His expression finally changed—fear.

Astrid slowly walked toward him. "Now you’re going to die." He raised his hand, and the grotesque creatures the leader had brought back to life were suddenly ripped from the ground. They flew backward, straight toward the dark abyss that had once been filled with water, disappearing into the darkness below.

Astrid turned back toward the leader, his fingers slowly curling. One movement—that was all it would take. He was about to snap his fingers and force the man’s body to combust.

Then—a scream tore through the island. "NOOO!"

Astrid froze. His head snapped around. Miles was standing behind him—or at least, he had been. Now his body was bent forward, a clawed hand having pierced straight through his stomach. Blood spread across his clothes. The woman Astrid had struck with the trash-can cover was standing behind him, her hand buried deep inside Miles. Her eyes were cold.

Miles’ face twisted in pain. "A-Astrid..."

Astrid’s eyes widened. The rage inside him disappeared for one horrifying second. All he could see was the blood. All he could hear was Miles’ broken gasp. And all he could think was—No. Not him. Not Miles. Not after everything.

Astrid’s hands trembled. "NO!" His scream shook the entire island.