His energy was nearly gone.
He turned toward Hakili, who was struggling to stand, breathing heavily, his once-bright lightning flickering and unstable.
"You still want to go?" Maji asked, his voice rough.
Hakili's smirk returned.
"You're out of time."
Before Maji could react, something cold and sharp clamped around his wrists.
A sudden wave of nausea washed over him.
His flames flickered—then died completely.
The cuffs were radiating negation energy.
He tried to move, but the crystalline chains tightened, draining every last ounce of power from his body.
A dark gleam of satisfaction flickered in Hakili's exhausted eyes.
"You recognize these?" he taunted, watching as Maji struggled. "This is Rynkata, from the ancient caves of Xevaria. Even the strongest beings in history couldn't break free once they were bound."
Maji tried to summon his flames.
Nothing came.
His knees buckled.
He fell.
Hakili stood over him, smirking down at his beaten brother.
"Looks like I win after all."
Maji glared up at Hakili, his breathing ragged but his defiance unwavering. The chains around his wrists pulsed with negation energy, suppressing every ounce of his power. His flames were gone.
Yet, even in his weakened state, he still managed to spit out words laced with disgust.
"You're so weak… you can't fight me with your own powers. You're relying on the cuffs."
Hakili's smirk faltered for a fraction of a second before twisting into something more sinister.
"You still don't get it, do you?" he murmured.
His hand drifted to the back pocket of his trousers, fingers closing around something.
A dagger.
The blade gleamed under the moonlight, its surface slick with a faint, ominous glow.
Maji's eyes narrowed. That wasn't an ordinary weapon.
Hakili let out a sharp exhale, running his fingers along the edge of the dagger before crouching slightly, his voice dropping into a low, venomous whisper.
"I wanted to know if I was stronger than you." His words slithered through the cold night air. "Now that I know I'm not… do you really think I won't do whatever it takes to make you disappear?"
A shudder ran through the air between them.
Maji's jaw clenched. He strained against the cuffs, but the negation energy burned against his wrists, sapping the strength from his limbs.
Hakili's laughter echoed.
"I bought those cuffs from the black market. Honestly? I didn't even think they'd work." He chuckled, the sound grating, twisted. "Guess I got lucky."
The blade flashed.
Maji jerked, but the cuffs held him down.
The dagger plunged into his side.
Pain exploded through his body.
He gasped, eyes widening as a burning coldness spread through his veins. It wasn't just a wound—there was something else.
Poison.
Maji gritted his teeth, biting back a pained groan. His muscles trembled as the venom worked its way through his bloodstream, dulling his movements, fogging his thoughts.
His eyes burned with fury as he lifted his gaze back to Hakili.
"You're gonna pay for this," he growled, his voice low, raw with hatred.
Hakili smirked. Mocking. Unbothered.
"You don't get it, lil' bro," he said, stepping back and yanking the dagger out, letting Maji collapse on the floor. "I ain't gonna pay for nothing."
Maji gasped, his breath sharp and uneven as fresh pain seared through him. But even as his vision blurred, even as his body weakened, the fire in his gaze never wavered.
"If I get out of these cuffs… you'll be crying crazy," Maji hissed.
Hakili paused.
For a moment, just a flicker of a moment, something in his expression changed. He stared at Maji, as if trying to gauge the truth behind his words.
Then, he scoffed.
"Too bad you won't be getting out."
He turned, stepping away. His minions staggered after him, battered and limping, stealing nervous glances at the fallen warrior behind them.
Maji remained on his knees, chest heaving, the dagger wound still oozing dark red.
The poison spread deeper. His body was shutting down.
A bitter taste filled Maji's mouth as the poison crawled deeper into his veins. His body felt heavy, sluggish, his breaths coming in short, pained gasps. But even through the numbing ache, his mind clung to one certainty.
This poison…
It wasn't just any toxin. It came from someone in the House of Xevran.
That realization sent a fresh wave of fury surging through him. Xevran was known for its mastery in manipulation of things like poison, the deadliest kinds of poison.
Normal poisons don't work on people with power at his level, unless its a poison from them.
But had they willingly handed Hakili a poisoned dagger? Or had they been tricked into it?
The thought twisted in his gut like a second blade.
Maji waited.
For something. For someone.
A savior.
But no one came.
The cold rooftop stretched endlessly around him, silent and indifferent to his presence. The night sky above shimmered with distant stars, their cold light seeming to mock his weakness. Then with a loud roar from the heavens the silence shuttered —a deep thunderous rumble roared in the sky and rain began to fall in heavy relentless sheets.
Damn it…
He clenched his fists weakly, nails barely scraping against the stone beneath him. Was this really how it ended?
A dry, breathless laugh escaped him. "I never thought there will come a time when I use dark flame,"
He touched the blood that flowed from his wound, "fire and blood, bind," he muttered. A burst of purple flames formed on his palm. "dark flames of the shadows, claim my soul, renew my form, I dare command!"
A circle of purple flames appeared around him, engulfing his whole body then disappearing in an instance.
Silence.
He gazed around him, "Damn! Nothin' has happened?!" he cursed as his vision blurred.
"I didn't even get to confess to Sabrina…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.
His head lolled to the side, his body betraying him.
"Damn it…" His mind raced, clinging desperately to his fading consciousness. "I can't die yet. I still have to kick Hakili's ass until they go flat. I have... To... Be an... Empor..."
Darkness swallowed his thoughts.
His body slumped, motionless.
Eyes closed.