Josh sprinted up the steps. He retracted the lightning and instead created a film of light over his sword.

Faster. He had to go faster. To reach Mara before the worst happened.

Everything moved in slow motion as Josh climbed higher and higher. The reaper cocked its arm back. Just a slight movement he barely noticed. Only a few more steps between him and Mara, with Josh taking them two at a time. He leapt upward, sword drawn back. Mara's wide eyes flickered to him. Her mouth opened, but no words came out. Instead, the reaper spun around as quick as lightning.

Move! Boomer's voice resonated through Josh's head, and he pulled his shield shoulder back a few inches.

An excruciating pain ripped through the top of Josh's shoulder. He gritted his teeth, watering eyes darting to the reaper's bloody spear-hand as it pulled back. If Boomer's will hadn't helped Josh move in time, the reaper would have skewered him instead of slicing his shoulder open.

Planting his foot, Josh forced his body to move forward once more. The light-coated sword sunk into the reaper's side with ease. Josh stumbled forward, eyes wide. Light should hurt it, so why was he slipping through—

The reaper's wail split the air. It felt as if the air itself vibrated, and it took everything in Josh not to drop his hilt and cover his ears. Dark purple gas gushed from around his sword.

Water splashed, but the gas blocked Josh from viewing why. A moment later, the reaper let loose another wail.

Arms wrapped around his middle as a weight tackled him, and he fell backward. The reaper's arm swiped the air where his head had been. He hit the floor of the pyramid's top. Stars burst into his vision. The impact, the dirty water, or maybe both made the shoulder wound burn like an inferno.

Mara released her hold on his waist and turned. She fired a blue-white beam at the reaper. Pure light or not, the reaper was quick to retreat from it. The distance between them revealed a glowing dagger buried in its arm.

Mara took hold of Josh's arm and yanked. "Come on," she said.

Doing his best to ignore his shoulder, Josh hurried to his feet to follow Mara down the steps.

Cale was still on one knee atop the only top-tier step he hadn't sunk, an arm flung around Aharon's shoulders. Even after all his magic usage, Cale lifted a hand and blasted light into the air. The reaper's shriek proved the energy hit its mark.

"That thing just won't die!" Josh stopped before Mara did and spun to face the reaper. He lifted his sword. His shield was lower than he would have liked, but the pain refused to let him bring it any higher.

Liquid sloshed against Josh's shoes, reminding him the reaper wasn't their only issue.

"What if it just wants me...?"

He almost didn't hear Aharon's whisper over the sound of him and Mara blasting light at the reaper.

"It'll kill us anyway," Cale said, his own voice not much louder than Aharon's. He kicked up water. Probably stubbornly getting back to his feet like a moron, but Josh wouldn't risk looking away from the reaper to find out. "So, we just have to figure out how to kill it first."

"You guys really just won't give up," Aharon murmured. His words caught, and he sniffled.

There has to be a way to do this, Boomer said. All monsters die somehow.

Josh pursed his lips as the reaper zipped away from another wave of beams. Mara's dagger fell from its arm and sunk into the water below. It would help if someone knew how this one did. Like Ezraim or Kidron, both dragons much older than Boomer. How old were reapers for neither of them to know?

Aharon grunted. Josh twisted his head. The young boy held a hand to his forehead once more. Josh's stomach sank. That had never been a good sign before.

Something flashed in Aharon's eyes—

The whistle of a fast-moving object yanked Josh's head back around. He threw up his shield, but it couldn't stop the reaper's whip-like body from throwing him back. He crashed into the wall. A scream shredded through him when his shoulder hit first.

Mara yelped, then there was a loud splash.

Josh pushed against the wall, but he didn't make it halfway up before the world spun. His legs gave out. He barely stayed lifted off the ground by putting almost all his weight against the wall. He squeezed his eyes shut for only a moment.

When he opened them, he had the unfortunate luck to stare straight into the odd purple eyes of the reaper.

Everything froze—his mind, his lungs, his limbs—unwilling to move. Pinned down by the sheer lack of anything within the reaper's eyes. Somehow, seeing no emotion within a creature intent on his death was more terrifying than if he saw bloodlust.

Another purple crack appeared under its hood. It spread, growing larger and wider. A smile. Emotionless, but a smile nevertheless. Even at least ten feet away, it felt like the reaper surrounded him, suffocating with its presence.

"Snap out of it," Cale's voice barked a moment before he appeared between him and the reaper. He huffed for breath and his legs shook, but he stood there regardless, a light-encased sword held out at the reaper.

At this rate, Cale was going to get himself killed. But Josh's shoulder was losing more and more blood, he was beginning to feel every new blast of light drain him, and they still had no idea how to kill the reaper, yet he also planned to keep fighting.

What if it just wants me...? Aharon had asked.

Josh had never felt more like Cale than he did in that moment. Standing before an impossible enemy, refusing to even attempt an easy way that endangered another.

"Got it," Josh said. He couldn't help the small lift in his lips as he willed his legs to hold his weight.

The reaper rose, as if to prepare another whipping attack. Josh and Cale braced, but, it didn't get a chance. A blue-white beam cut through the air between them and the monster.

Mara pulled herself up out of the water, glaring from underneath a tangle of wet hair. "Stay away from them," she snapped.

That uncontrollable smile grew. Josh's body felt a little lighter now that he could see both of his teammates. All of them, together, a barrier between the reaper and Aharon.

As if sensing Josh think his name, Aharon suddenly snapped, "Fine!"

A weight dropped on Josh's left arm. He shouted, stumbling back. Aharon clung to him, his eyes flickering with fear but lips set in determination.

"Aharon, what are you doing?" Josh demanded.

The young boy didn't answer. He pulled down, and in a weakened state, Josh couldn't stop his arm from lowering.

Josh's mind spun, and he tried to wrench his arm away. He felt the others' eyes on him, but they were continuing to do all they could to keep the reaper at bay—mostly Mara, with Cale doubling over after the first blast of light. From the corner of his eye, he could see it thinning and picking up speed with every duck.

Had they been wrong about Aharon this entire time? Was he trying to hinder them so the reaper could attack—

Aharon reached toward Josh's sword when it was low enough and closed his hand around the sharp blade.

"Hey!" Josh swatted at Aharon's hand, but he didn't need to. Aharon jerked his hand away, blood dripping from his palm and staining the edges of the sword. "What are you thinking? Aharon!"

Aharon ignored him and darted forward. Josh took a step to chase, but his body seized, threatening to go down if he didn't focus.

Neither Mara nor Cale could stop Aharon as he slipped between them. She was mid-blast, and he had fallen to a knee after attempting another blast. Both shouted their surprise as Aharon's small form stood before them, waving his bleeding hand at the reaper like a weapon.

"Pass!" he shouted.

The reaper paused. Its body widened to its full size rather than the slender, snake-like form it used to lash out. Purple eyes drilled down where Aharon stood.

"Get back." Mara pulled at his shoulder, but Aharon jerked away.

He took a few more steps forward. He must have been on the very edge of the platform. Water lapped at his waist, ever rising, but he stood steady.

"I said—" Aharon stumbled over his words, shuddered, then extended his bleeding hand further into the air. "I said pass!"

The reaper leaned forward, its head tilted to the side. The purple crack that formed its mouth spread open, and it hissed.

The room stilled, quiet except for the water that continued to gush from the statues' mouths. Josh stared at Aharon. The need to grab him and protect him from harm hadn't vanished, but Josh couldn't shake the sense that right now was the safest any of them had been.

Aharon—the boy they'd been protecting this entire time—seemed like a shield between them and the reaper.

Light trailed from his hand. It spread down his arm and continued until it veiled his entire body. When he spoke again, his voice boomed across the room.

"I said pass!"

The veil exploded from Aharon in a forceful wave of light. It rammed into Josh, knocking the breath out of him. The reaper's screech mixed with Aharon's echoing command, bouncing around in Josh's skull. The wall he expected to slam into never came. He floated, weightless, in a world of bright white. Maybe he should have felt terrified, but instead, a soothing feeling filled his body.

It reminded him of when Hisato had healed him.

Color edged his vision at the same time he felt the ground beneath his feet. As the light retracted, so did the weightlessness. It vanished, and reality slapped him in the face.

The room had returned to how they first found it. Earth no longer blocked the three other exits. Turning, Josh found Mara and Cale to his right, also examining the situation. Full color had returned to both of them, and exhaustion didn't paint their cheeks red.

They were also dry. He was dry. And he felt great, like he could run a marathon. He reached for his shoulder. No bloody wound. He flexed it. No pain, either.

"Cale. Mara. Josh."

Jolting, Josh directed his sword to the middle of the room, mentally kicking himself in the butt. He hadn't looked down yet.

His mouth fell open at the figure in the center. He had only seen him once, and he had been a ghostly presence then, but Josh recognized the tall, dark-skinned man with a shaved head.

The adult Aharon smiled up at them. "Hello. I think it is about time we finally met."

Fun Fact: So... For those who haven't realized this by now, the entire dimension has been heavily influenced by the plagues of Egypt.  As such, the two names you've seen of people associated with it—Aharon and his supposed brother Moshe—are named after Aaron and Moses.  

So yeah. I will admit, I knew how the reaper stuff was resolved but had a lot of issues actually getting there and winged this chapter so hard. I really hope it worked out for you guys. And wow. Now Aharon is fully big. Wonder what connections that had the reaper and if it has anything to do with the fun fact *coughs as I nudge you toward theories*

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D It's in my bio if you'd like to join!