Running, Jake discovered, was about the only thing he had willpower to do. Running so fast that not even the breath he left behind could catch up.

His legs beat into the tiles underfoot, while his mind focused on not breaking down. Or freaking out.

Either one was possible at this point.

Wolfie kept at a brisk pace in front of him, dodging Vaskels as they patrolled the corridors. She said it wouldn't be long before one of them found East and raised the alarm. They reached another flight of stairs. Wolfie jumped onto the railing, using it to slide to the floor below. He didn't even try to follow her example. She waited for him until he reached the bottom and they carried on.

"We don't have much time," she hissed, rolling to the other side of the wall. He scurried toward her, just in time. A flurry of Vaskels stormed past shortly after.

"Why? What's going on?" He'd grown sick of her not telling him anything. He was part of this world now – whether he liked it or not – and he deserved to know the truth. She said nothing. No clues crossed her face, no expression. That could only mean something bad. As soon as the threat passed, they set off again, ducking into alcoves and other storage units. Jake felt weak at the knees, but he didn't stop. Or rather he couldn't. It was like his whole body had rejected him. The human part of him. Shaking his head, he chased Wolfie until she whipped her head to one side. That was their signal. He melded himself to the wall, as did she. One at a time, they poked their heads around the corner. One Vaskel. There was something odd about this one, though. Its normally pale skin was riven with black veins, while its eyes were wide and terrified. According to Wolfie it took a lot to terrify an immortal. And then there was its movement: slow and jerky. Like a zombie or someone that had been electrocuted.

"What happened to him?" Jake asked.

"Lexie happened to him," she said. Her tone was stone cold, but there was an underscore of pride if he listened closely. It made him feel a little ill. At times he tended to forget that she was evil, but he couldn't believe that Alexa had done that. As if reading his mind, Wolfie pushed herself off the wall and ran towards the Vaskel. Its eyes, blinking but unseeing, remained wide.

"Can't it see us?" He crept forward. She held up her hand, passing it in front of the Vaskel's face. And again. And again.

"Wolfie," he said warningly.

"What? I never get to have any fun". Huffing, she turned away. With a sharp gasp, her hands fell slack.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He stepped closer and pressed his fingers to hers. He didn't even care that they were cold.

"What's up? Are you okay?" She raised her finger, pointed behind. Jake's peripherals refused to look, and he had to force himself to face the door. The half-broken metal door. The door with black ashes crackling at the edges and black liquid spilling out from under it. Scorch marks littered the frame. Beyond that, there was nothing. Just that never-ending blackness. From where they were standing it sounded like a hurricane and yet, at the same time, it was silent.

"Bloody hell," Wolfie gasped. It was hard to tell if she was horrified or impressed. Probably a bit of both.

"That's not Alexa, is it? It can't be," he breathed. "Tell me it's not".

"In a way, it isn't Lexie. But it is. It's a Halfblood's true form: their Halve State. This is the true seat of the power they harbour and if they haven't been taught how to control it well", she gestured to the darkness in the doorway, "this happens".

"Come on, we have to help her!" He lunged for the door, but she held him back.

"Jakey, it's over. Nothing can bring her back now. She'll consume herself and everyone in this building if we don't skedaddle"—

"We can't leave her like this. There must be a way". He had an idea. "You could talk to her. You want to know who you are, don't you?"

"Jakey, I'll only make things worse". She tried to pull him away, but he pushed against her grip.

"I'm not leaving her here. Besides if you drag me out, I'll only come running back in again". Before he knew what was happening, he'd clambered over the door and given his soul to blackness.

The monster rose up through the building, melting onto every floor and turning the white walls black. It bore a mask for its face, a great headdress from the tales of old. Almost fox-like. Smoke curled around its fingers, and it bulged outwards, leaking into another part of the building. Little people screamed and cursed. They scampered away like rats to the gutter. On the outside, the monster was pleased, but inside, it was crying. It hated the destruction and it was trying to hold back for as long as possible. For some reason, it had a hope that someone would come to save it. Her. She was... She was an 'it'. A thing. A monster. 

And monsters didn't get saved. 

So, she let the blackness consume her. 

It ploughed past another floor, smashing the tiles to pieces. It knew if it reached the sky, terror would rain down on the world outside. If it had cared before it didn't care now. Suddenly, something entered its power, forcing it to stop and brace itself for another impact. Shouts rattled up into its core. What was that? Who was that? The monster shook its great head, passing it off as another victim. But then it felt it again. That strange, yet familiar sensation. A name ricocheted off the walls of its power.

Alexa!

It was so faint, the monster barely heard it. What that its name? It'd thought it didn't have one. Names gave things meaning, and the monster was meaningless. It didn't deserve a name. Turning away, it let its power rise.

Alexa!

There it was again. That voice, it seemed familiar too. It was certain. The monster peered down through the ashes, curling its huge body towards the ground. A boy, a human boy. No, not completely human. Not completely a boy either. A young man. Green eyes, brown hair. It had seen him before. Power bulged to the tips of its fingers and that was when the intruder looked up. He stared into the monster's mask, its bottomless eye sockets. And he held out his hand. His name; she knew it. She. She wasn't an 'it'. She was... Fragments of Dark Matter split her mind and with the pain, came the power. Blackness extended, submerging the boy. He was lost to her before she'd even remembered his name. Not 'she'. 

The monster.