Liam’s palm slowly opened.
His eyes never left Tatiana.
She had just stepped farther into the lair, her attention fixed on Gregor and the others. To everyone else, nothing seemed unusual. The chamber was silent apart from the sound of Gregor’s breathing and the occasional crackle from Mary’s floating orb.
But Liam’s Aether Sense screamed.
Something was moving.
Not toward him.
Toward her.
Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand.
[Feather Shards.]
White light bloomed across his palm.
The next instant, dozens of razor-sharp feathers shot through the air.
Whoosh!
They flew directly toward Tatiana.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
"Tatiana!"
Irina instinctively reached forward.
Mary looked up in confusion.
Even Leonid’s expression changed.
Only Tatiana herself remained perfectly still.
She didn’t flinch.
She didn’t dodge.
She didn’t even blink.
If the attack had come from anyone else, her instincts would’ve taken over immediately.
But this was Liam.
There wasn’t a single part of her that believed he would ever hurt her.
The feathers closed the final distance.
Just before they reached her...
They suddenly split apart.
Each feather curved around her body with impossible precision.
Tak!
Tak!
Tak!
Three dull impacts echoed through the chamber.
Something appeared out of thin air.
Three dark green vines.
They had been almost completely invisible until the feathers pierced them. Their camouflage shattered instantly, revealing thick thorn-covered tendrils less than a hand’s width from Tatiana’s neck, waist and shoulder.
If Liam had reacted even a heartbeat later...
Those vines would’ve wrapped around her before anyone noticed they existed.
Tatiana slowly turned her head.
Only now did she realize how close she’d come to being captured.
Her crimson eyes widened ever so slightly.
Liam lowered his hand.
His gaze shifted past everyone inside the chamber.
Toward the darkness at the rear of the lair.
His voice became frighteningly calm.
"I know you’re there."
Nobody answered.
The chamber fell silent once again.
Then...
Liam disappeared.
Boom!
The stone floor cracked beneath his feet as he burst forward with explosive speed.
In less than a second he crossed the entire length of the lair.
His hand shot into the darkness.
Clench!
His fingers wrapped tightly around a throat.
He lifted the figure into the air without slowing down before slamming it against the cave wall.
Dust scattered from the impact.
It was an old woman.
Her body was frail and bent with age. Deep wrinkles covered every inch of her face, while long strands of filthy grey hair hung over sunken eyes that glowed with an unsettling green light. She wore layers of ragged robes stitched together from mismatched fabrics, animal hides and faded cloth that looked centuries old. Around her neck hung dozens of tiny bone charms that clicked softly against one another whenever she moved. Her fingernails were unnaturally long, stained black at the tips, and the foul smell coming from her breath spread through the chamber the moment Liam tightened his grip.
Her lips slowly stretched into an ugly smile.
Then...
She laughed.
"Ahahahahaha..."
The sound echoed from every direction.
"You thought..."
"...you caught me?"
Liam frowned.
Something felt...
Wrong.
The skin beneath his fingers suddenly became rough.
Dry.
Splintered.
His eyes narrowed.
The body he was strangling rapidly shrank before his eyes.
The old woman disappeared.
In her place...
Hung an old wooden broom.
Its straw bristles dangled lifelessly beneath his hand.
Liam clicked his tongue.
"Another illusion."
The cackling grew louder.
He spun around.
High above them, tangled among the thick vines crossing the cave ceiling, the old woman sat comfortably with one leg swinging back and forth. She looked down at everyone below as though watching a travelling performance.
Her yellow teeth showed through another grin.
"Such a clever little boy."
"But still..."
"...so easy to fool."
Her laughter filled the chamber once more.
Liam stared up at her.
His expression didn’t change.
Before this moment...
Everything had simply been another mission.
Another enemy.
Another obstacle standing in his way.
But the instant she’d tried to harm Tatiana...
She had made it personal.
His eyes became colder.
"You chose the wrong person."
Boom!
The ground exploded beneath him again.
He launched himself upward like an arrow.
The witch’s smile widened.
"So impatient."
She slowly crossed both arms.
The cave suddenly came alive.
Hundreds of thick vines burst from every direction.
The walls split apart.
The ceiling cracked.
Even the floor seemed to erupt as thorn-covered tendrils rushed toward Liam from all sides.
Their numbers were overwhelming.
He didn’t hesitate.
His fist shot forward.
Bang!
The first wall of vines exploded apart.
Then...
His hand passed straight through them.
No resistance.
No impact.
Nothing.
They dissolved into drifting smoke.
"Illusions."
Liam immediately realized the trick.
Unfortunately...
That realization came one second too late.
From behind the fake vines...
A real one shot forward.
Bang!
It crashed into Liam’s side with the force of a battering ram.
The impact threw him sideways through the air.
He twisted his body before landing cleanly on both feet.
His boots slid several metres across the stone.
The witch clapped her hands together.
"Very good."
"Most people would’ve broken every bone in their body."
She giggled.
"But let’s see how long you keep up."
The chamber changed again.
This time three identical witches appeared.
One stood on the ceiling.
One emerged from behind a crystal pillar.
One walked calmly across the floor.
All three smiled.
All three laughed.
All three spoke at once.
"Which one am I?"
Liam narrowed his eyes.
He rushed toward the nearest one.
His punch passed through her.
Smoke.
The second pointed a crooked finger toward him.
Dozens of thorned vines erupted from beneath the floor.
Liam leapt over them.
Fake.
Every single one disappeared before reaching him.
Then...
Something wrapped around his ankle.
A real vine.
It had emerged silently beneath the illusions.
The tendril yanked violently.
Liam’s balance shifted for only a fraction of a second.
That was all the witch needed.
Another real vine lashed across his back.
Bang!
He was launched into one of the crystal pillars.
The entire formation cracked.
Blue crystal fragments rained onto the ground.
Tatiana instinctively took a step forward.
"Liam!"
"No."
Agatha immediately held out an arm.
"Don’t."
"He’ll only have more people to protect."
The witch heard them.
She laughed even louder.
"Oh?"
"You brought spectators."
"Wonderful."
"Watch carefully."
She looked back toward Liam.
"Watch your mighty hero struggle."
The entire cave began changing again.
Crystal pillars disappeared.
Walls melted.
The ceiling stretched farther into darkness.
Dozens...
Then hundreds...
Of vines burst from every surface.
Some were transparent.
Some cast shadows.
Some rustled in the air.
Some remained perfectly still.
Liam looked around.
His instincts screamed from every direction.
Every attack looked real.
Every movement felt dangerous.
But experience had already taught him the truth.
Most of what he was seeing...
Didn’t exist.
The real danger was hidden among the lies.
A dozen vines lunged at him together.
He destroyed the first.
It vanished.
He ignored the second.
It was real.
It slammed into his shoulder.
Before he could recover, another struck his ribs from the opposite side.
Then another wrapped around his wrist before dissolving into smoke the moment he grabbed it.
The next one was real.
It caught him across the chest.
Bang!
Liam slid backward once more.
The witch watched from above, rocking her legs happily as though she were enjoying a game.
"Do you understand now?"
Her voice echoed through the cavern.
"This..."
She spread both arms wide.
"...is my domain."
"Here your eyes betray you."
"Your instincts betray you."
"Even your strength..."
She let out another long, chilling cackle.
"...becomes meaningless."
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