Chapter Ten

On the edge of the wasteland, the humanoid silhouette tried again and again to approach Amelia, only to be repeatedly lifted into the air and slammed back down to the ground. Radiance peeled away from its form in fragments, rendering its outline increasingly indistinct. As it became almost invisible, the barrier that had shielded Amelia from splattering mud contracted into a sphere of light and shot toward it.

A surge of white light erupted within the humanoid figure, engulfing Amelia’s orb of light.

For a fleeting instant, the desolate land was illuminated as if by snow, then instantly swallowed by darkness once more.

Where the white light dissipated, the air began to swirl in rhythmic currents. Rain, caught in the vortex, gathered together and gradually formed a vertical column of water. Weeds from the ground were torn free and swept up into the swirling pillar.

The water column swelled rapidly, soon transforming into a colossal figure as tall as the solitary house. A mass of wild grass defined the contours of this giant—headless, its massive upper body a smooth, rounded mass devoid of edges, while the hands, with distinct fingers, were crafted with surprising detail.

Amelia spread a barrier between herself and the giant.

The giant strode forward on thick legs and kicked the barrier. Its lower body halted abruptly, while its upper body toppled forward with the momentum. It raised a vast fist and brought it crashing down toward Amelia.

The barrier immediately returned to Amelia’s side, whisking her out of the path of the giant’s blow and carrying her skyward.

Missing its target, the giant twisted its enormous body and swung again at Amelia in the air.

A slender beam of light extended from the end of the barrier, winding around the giant’s swinging arm and pulling it aside.

Amelia leapt from the barrier, both hands outstretched toward the ground.

A dome of violet light formed beneath her, caving inward as she touched it, letting her land softly. The glowing hemisphere then sprang upward, colliding with the giant’s leg, while the airborne barrier pulled in the opposite direction, toppling the giant forward. As soon as its legs left the earth, the barrier spun sharply, hurling the giant away toward the woods.

Masses of wild grass and leaves scattered in all directions as the giant crashed, its body contorted and losing its original form on the side that took the brunt of the impact.

Clumsily, the giant struggled to its feet, grasped a tree with its remaining hand, and ripped it from the ground.

The air around the giant spun violently, drawing up grass and leaves to restore its broken form.

The giant took a step, hefted the uprooted tree, and flung it at Amelia.

The whirling air sheared off the tree’s crown mid-flight and whittled the trunk into a sharp cone.

A blade of light sliced from in front of Amelia, piercing the tip of the trunk and running its length.

The tree trunk split in two as it fell, each half skimming past Amelia on either side before driving deep into the muddy earth.

The giant did not press its attack against Amelia. Instead, it turned and lumbered toward the van parked nearby.

The blade of light that had split the trunk wheeled through the air and swept across the giant, severing one of its legs.

The giant pitched forward, but did not collapse onto the ground. With its remaining leg, it leaped high, propelling itself above the van, then clasped its hands together and smashed down toward the van’s roof.

In the instant before its hands struck the metal, a slender violet beam shot from its back, piercing straight into the sky.

A bolt of lightning forked through the clouds, following the beam down to earth and striking the giant’s back.

The giant exploded at once, its rainwater and grass scattering in all directions.

Brilliant white light spread across the sky, only to be swiftly devoured by the night.

Tiny arcs of electricity flickered over the van’s roof, but after a few seconds, they too faded from sight.

Dylan poked his head out from the van’s rear door and glanced up. Satisfied that nothing strange lingered overhead, he ducked back inside and slammed the door shut with effort.

Amelia smoothed the rain from her long hair and glanced down at the bracelet on her right wrist.

The number on the bracelet’s screen had dropped to “73%,” its flickering glow shifting from green to yellow.

“You’re not much of a talker.” The candlestick floated before Amelia, its wavering voice emerging from its position. “That really makes my heart flutter. You’re certain to become a better Kelly.”

A leaf the size of a hand drifted down and hovered beside the candlestick. Heat radiated from the leaf’s surface, causing the rainwater on it to evaporate and finally setting the leaf ablaze.

Suddenly, the leaf, carrying its tiny flame, shot through the curtain of rain toward Amelia’s face.

But the rain quickly soaked the leaf again, dousing the fire and sending the limp foliage fluttering to the ground.

“That’s a little trick,” the wavering voice said, “I just learned.”