Chapter 174: Pillow Fort
Victor moved first. Dimitri t him without hesitation, their clash cracking the ground as fire and ice encountered sothing more suffocating. Victor’s blades ford, heat and frost lding into sharp, controlled edges. Dimitri’s silence domain expanded just as fast, swallowing sound and dulling magic as nullification pressed in. Neither held back. Not anymore.
Victor drove forward again, faster, sharper, forcing Dimitri to shift instead of simply erase, and Dimitri responded in kind, his movents fluid but heavy with pressure, each counter carrying weight that demanded respect. They were smiling, not with humour but with recognition, the kind that ca when soone finally found an equal worth testing against. Sweat built quickly, not from strain but from exertion that actually ant sothing, both of them pushing further, deeper, letting more of themselves surface than they had since the collapse began.
"Never seen him like this," one of Leaf Team muttered. Their eyes stayed fixed on Dimitri as he moved with a level of force rarely witnessed; his control was still present but stretched thinner than usual.
anwhile, Snow Team didn’t look any less focused; their attention was unwavering as the battle played out.
"Yeah," Sarge said quietly, watching Victor force through a partial nullification with brute intent alone, "sa here."
The air around both groups tightened, not just from the fight, but from sothing else beginning to surface.
Richard stepped forward slightly, his voice cutting through just enough to be heard. "We need to talk."
Dimitri didn’t stop fighting, but his attention was split. "Say it," he said.
Richard didn’t hesitate. "There’s a group moving east. Taking won."
Leaf Team’s focus snapped. "Taking?" Dawn’s voice ca low.
Richard’s gaze didn’t move. "So forced. So convinced. Doesn’t matter which."
Thane’s wings stilled overhead.
"And you’re sure," Dimitri said.
"Yes."
Then Richard added, "They tried with her."
That broke sothing, like glass shattering beneath the sudden, violent surge of anger, grief, and protectiveness. The air snapped with the crackle of unfinished rage, raw and pulsing, silent but screaming in the looks exchanged.
The reaction was imdiate—a wave of silent fury and dread rolled through the group, tightening jaws, clenching fists, every breath pulled shallow with purpose.
Exile’s body tightened so fast the ground beneath him cracked, his tongue flicking rapidly, faster, sharper, the air around him shifting under pressure that wasn’t being controlled properly anymore.
Dawn took a half-step forward without aning to.
Thane dropped lower.
Even Dimitri—sothing flickered in his eyes. A shadow of rage and shock edged his features, jaw locking, hands curling tighter, his domain pulsing colder for a mont.
"What do you an, tried?" Dimitri asked, voice quieter now.
Voss answered this ti, not looking away from the fight. "They didn’t ask." The silence that followed was heavier than anything Dimitri’s domain could produce.
"They tried to claim her," Damien added, tone flat, controlled, which made it worse.
Ivan’s jaw tightened. "Tried to force it."
Now it wasn’t just tension, it was direction. Leaf Team didn’t move closer; shoulders stiffened, jaws set. Silence hung as they all shifted. Exile’s coils tightened, constricted, breath hissing. Dawn’s presence pressed, almost smothering.
Thane’s gaze sharpened.
Even Dimitri, for the first ti, missed a hit.
Victor’s strike landed harder because of it, forcing Dimitri back half a step. Dimitri’s jaw clenched, breath sharp as he recovered instantly. The fight snapped back into motion, but sothing had changed now. They weren’t just releasing pressure anymore. They were carrying it. Now they knew where it pointed.
Felicity stepped out of her space into that exact mont, completely unaware of the weight she was walking into. She wore a soft, fitted crop top and a light tennis skirt that moved easily with her steps, the fabric lifting just enough with each movent to draw attention in a way she clearly hadn’t considered, especially without anything layered underneath. She carried a small bundle of ice creams in her hands, smiling brightly as none of the tension around her existed.
The reaction was imdiate.
Snow Team had already adjusted to her in pieces, but even they weren’t immune to monts like this.
Damien looked once and imdiately dragged a hand down his face, muttering under his breath while forcing his gaze away, only for it to snap back again, the instinct to protect hitting harder than the initial reaction.
Ivan stepped in closer without thinking, settling just behind her with quiet intent, his presence anchoring there as it belonged.
Voss shifted as well, subtle but deliberate, placing himself at an angle that covered more space than before.
Leaf Team reacted differently.
Their attention was caught in ways they didn’t fully control. Not just because of how she looked, but because of how she acted, how easily she fit into a space that should have been tense, how naturally she handed things out as if this was normal.
Exile went completely still.
Dawn’s presence deepened without him moving.
Thane hovered lower, gaze locked in a way that didn’t shift.
Even Dimitri’s domain faltered slightly, not breaking, but flickering just enough to notice if you were watching closely.
Felicity tilted her head, looking between them and then back toward Victor and Dimitri. "Are they okay?" she asked, concern softening her voice as she glanced at the fight.
Voss reached out and took one of the ice creams from her hand, grounding the mont before it stretched too far. "They’re fine," he said calmly. "n need to burn things out sotis."
She nodded, accepting that easily, her attention already moving on.
Tommy’s voice cut through from the building behind them. "Hey."
She turned instantly, bright again. "What?"
"I made you sothing."
"What?"
"A pillow fort."
Her entire face lit up without hesitation. "You did not."
"I did."
She turned to go imdiately, already moving toward him with that sa unguarded excitent.
Lucan caught her around the waist before she could get far, pulling her back against him with controlled ease. "Not so fast, bunny
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