Micah is on the ground, and I take a moment to savor it.
Being this close to your own Form—especially one of this magnitude—has always been ill-advised among Serum users. But I begin compressing it anyway, focusing the Form down slowly into a tighter space, until it surrounds Micah in a small, radiant box. That also allows me to move in closer.
The focus required to condense this much energy is draining my Attunement fast, and Caelux is pulling even harder against my Core. I'm only ten meters from Micah now, and the light from my Form is brighter than the sun.
I never was one for sunglasses at night, but I would've killed for a pair right now. The connection with Caelux, my Echo, grants my eyes resistance—but all of this power, compressed to nearly five meters from a singularity, is almost too much to withstand.
Micah is caged within the Form—completely at my mercy. He pushes himself to his feet, blood seeping from fresh cuts across his body, each one cauterized by the focused light.
Being trapped inside a Lumen Hexahedron, condensed this far down, would've blinded any Baseline.
But not Micah. He doesn't even flinch.
"Let me out of this damn thing, Ryker! Fight me like a real man!"
He slams his fists against the glowing edges of the Form, his voice echoing through the charged air.
I don't move. Just watch him scream and flail, the light tracing cracks along his skin.
"A real man doesn't blow half a city block trying to run," I say calmly. "But you go ahead and redefine masculinity while you're stuck in a cage made of your own bad decisions."
The Form hums louder, reacting to his outburst.
"Or," I add, stepping closer, "you can start talking. Because this doesn't end with a fair fight. It ends when I say it does."
"You know this Form won't last forever, Ryker," Micah says with a grin. "I'm happy to wait it all out—until your Attunement dies."
He's right.
If I can't stabilize my Core, Caelux will become ravenous and fade. Then the tables will turn, and I'll be at Micah's mercy.
What he doesn't know is that I've got a spare Serum ready to go. The problem? Using it would require me to disengage several of my Sigil Points.
I bring my hands together, fingers spread wide, aligning my left hand with five of the Six Sigil Points.
Most users are unaware that their pineal gland is another source of their Core's flow—the twenty-first Conduit. I could've used my toes too, if I were barefoot… but this is far from any beach.
I tilt my head to the left, angling my third eye toward the truck's mirror, then guide my Core to flow through my left hand and pineal gland—the six necessary Conduits.
The Form flickers ever so subtly.
Micah lunges against it, trying to escape—but the Invocation returns instantly, burning off some of his hair.
"Are you teasing me, Ryker? Are you enjoying this?" Micah yells, fists clenched.
My right hand moves toward the inner lining of my jacket. I feel the cold metal of the Serum Hypo and grasp it.
Micah stares in shock as I slowly reveal the key to his demise. My power will surge even more after this injection.
I tuck the hypo under my left armpit and reach for my left jacket sleeve. I yank it down without disrupting the pineal Conduit.
The vascularity of my arm, combined with the Overtone glowing beneath my skin, gives me a perfect visual guide. I bring the hypo to my mouth and stare at the radiator-coolant green Serum swirling inside—begging to become part of my Core. Then I bite down on the yellow cap.
With a flick of my arm, I rip the cap off and feel the Overtone of the hypo pulsing in my grip.
I slam it into my left bicep vein.
The Serum rushes into me like cold fire, stabilizing my Core. The vibrations hit instantly. I begin to split.
I recognize this stage—the separation of body, mind, and soul—but I hold firm, guided by Caelux.
Numbness fades.
Attunement rises.
Not the first time I've had to restabilize in the field… I know how it goes.
My vision explodes with light, then narrows to a pinpoint. A stinging sensation hits my Core. And then—
I feel my body again.
I'm present again.
I have Rebinded.
Now it's time to finish this once and for all.