"Lucy!" Linsley shouted, trying to release his own power, but he wasn't yet able to channel his newly awakened Gift.
His Flux remained dormant, out of reach, and he could do nothing as the debris hurtled toward her.
But just as the debris was about to crush Lucy, something extraordinary happened. Her body glowed faintly, and her short white hair began to grow longer, extending down to her waist.
A pair of dark, feathered wings sprouted from her back, unfurling with a powerful flap that swatted the falling debris aside like it was nothing.
Linsley watched in awe as Lucy's transformation completed. Her crimson eyes glowed with a fierce light, and the dark mist of Flux swirled around her. She had awakened her Gift—a Fallen Angel, with powers that radiated both beauty and danger.
Ted's Gift continued to wreak havoc, the ground still shaking, cracks spreading throughout the facility as if everything around them was being destroyed from within.
Linsley stood between his two friends, his mind racing. Ted's Destruction Gift was causing the environment to collapse, and Lucy's Fallen Angel: Lucifer Gift had just saved her life.
But now, they were all in danger, and Linsley had to act quickly.
"I'll get us out of here," Linsley muttered, still struggling to control his own Flux.
He could feel the energy of his newly awakened Gift surging through him, but with Ted's uncontrollable Destruction Gift causing the facility to crumble around them, time was running out.
The ground beneath them rumbled violently, cracks snaking across the floor and walls, and Linsley knew they didn't have much time.
He had to act fast.
Linsley dashed toward Ted, who was clasping his head in agony, his Destruction Gift wreaking havoc on the restraints that once held him.
The restraints had already been obliterated by Ted's uncontrolled power, and now, the boy's pain and confusion were only intensifying the chaos. Destruction radiated from Ted, and Linsley could feel the air trembling as if reality itself was about to be torn apart.
There was no time to waste.
Linsley called upon his newly awakened Gift: Real Fantasy.
Lucy's appearance had changed dramatically. Her once shoulder-length white hair now flowed down to her waist, and her crimson red eyes glowed with a fierce light.
The dark, feathered wings that had sprouted from her back fluttered slightly, their edges brushing the ground. There was an eerie, otherworldly presence about her now, as if she had tapped into a deep well of power that wasn't entirely her own.
Around her body, a faint, dark mist of Flux swirled, pulsing with energy.
"Lucy?" Linsley called, his voice calm but cautious.
He knew that she, too, had just awakened, and like Ted, she might not be fully in control of her powers yet.
Lucy turned to him, her crimson eyes locking onto his.
Read latest stories on мѵʟ
For a brief moment, he wasn't sure if she recognized him, but then her expression softened. She was still Lucy, even beneath the overwhelming power of the Fallen Angel transformation.
"We need to leave, now," Linsley urged, stepping closer. "This place won't hold for long."
Lucy nodded, her wings folding slightly as she regained her composure.
She moved to Ted's side, concern flickering in her gaze. "Is he...?"
"He'll be fine," Linsley assured her. "I had to knock him out to stop his power from getting out of control. He was destroying everything around us."
Lucy glanced at the unconscious Ted, her expression softening as she knelt beside him. "We can't leave him here," she said, her voice resolute.
Linsley nodded. "Of course. But we need to move fast. Can you carry him?"
Lucy looked at her wings and gave them a slight flex, testing her newfound strength. "I think so."
With surprising ease, Lucy lifted Ted into her arms, her wings spreading out behind her to keep her balanced. The dark mist of Flux swirled around her, making her seem like a figure straight out of myth—a fallen angel with divine power at her fingertips.