'I can't let the academy learn about Zara's origins. If that ever happens, she'll likely lose most of her freedom.'
Zara's Nox heritage was something Damien accepted because he knew her. If the higher authorities of Grand Heavens Boundary learned of this fact instead, they'd either turn Zara into an experimental subject, a slave, or an exile.
'And none of those options look promising.'
Damien gritted his teeth. His body flowed through the air and became one with the world. He became an entity that Sebastian couldn't hit no matter how hard he tried.
Yet, Damien couldn't land a single strike either. Sebastian was using the Dead Zone itself to his advantage, an advantage Damien hadn't yet found a way to rid him of.
'To defeat him and return to the surface with enough time to bring Zara back…is that even possible?'
Damien's eyes hardened.
'Ten minutes. I have ten minutes at the maximum.'
Ten minutes until reinforcements arrived…