Chapter 54
The blood pulsed.
It ran along the walls in veins of red light, moving with a pulse that was almost human. Almost alive. The relic-machine—half forgotten, half worshipped—dimmed as Kiro stepped back from it. His hands twitched, energy coiling through his veins like wildfire in oil.
Sanguine Bloom.
The skill had etched itself into him—violently. He could still feel where the thorns had grown beneath his skin, ready to burst from muscle and marrow with a single thought.
Around him, the bunker stirred.
The rebels, no longer just survivors, looked at him with a different fear now. The awe of someone they had whispered about, doubted, mythologized—becoming something real. Something unstoppable.
Kiro turned to them, red light glinting in his eyes. His voice was low. Commanding.
"The Spire's been evacuated. The Empire left this planet to burn. But if we move now, we can still get off-world."
"Get off-world with what?" asked a scarred woman leaning against the terminal. "The ports are locked down. Every airpath's sealed. They're not leaving anything behind but fire."