the sound of something cracking, followed by a shattering scream, brought satisfaction to my ears. I didn't expect the fight to continue, because her body didn't just crumble to the ground like in a normal boxing match.
Instead she went flying, heading down one of the five paths and landing with a huge crash. Whatever she collided into made the ground shake; rocks and other debris fluttered down from the ceiling to rain on us.
My grin only widened, and the giggle that left my lips was full of triumph. I knew the game wasn't over, but the eeriness of my laughter and the way my eyes returned to my final victim must have made me look diabolical.
The way the woman's eyes widened and fear flooded her irises told me I was having the exact effect I wanted.
Instilling fear before I kill her too.
"I'm not afraid of you!" she screamed, clapping her hands that charged up an electric current of energy that vibrated with pink and green sparks.
I expected her to shoot a ball of energy at me or something, but she dropped to the ground and plunged her hands into the soil.
My mind was intrigued — that foreign aspect both amused and curious as to what was happening — while I stood there and watched.
Nothing happened, which had me frowning. I was actually disappointed.
"Am I supposed to wait?" I asked, crossing my arms and hoping for a big, explosive shebang to occur.
"Shut it! It's coming! You won't be saying shit when you're dead."
"Right..." I trailed off because that foreign heat that blared to life during near-death experiences came rushing in, making my world spin. I had to steady myself, my eyes darting to the place I knew would glow with tremendous power.
There was the marking, the one I could draw over and over again in my sleep. The turquoise glow of it was so strong it was beginning to illuminate the cave, and then I noticed the tiny shaking happening.
The trembles began to build, and I heard screams on the path I'd come from.
"CASS!" It was Tristan, his thick male voice reaching down to these parts, but the goosebumps on my skin told me something was about to happen.
Exciting.
Do you wish to see your potential?
My potential. Do I fear what I am capable of?
With my current state of mind, I loved the sudden challenge. I was sure if I wasn't dealing with the cranky bullshit of being a woman and in BTS mode, I would have thought otherwise, but now, I had the courage to do anything, and I wished to see exactly what was being offered to me.
Yes. I do.
The giddy flow of emotion that rocked through me had me grinning from ear to ear, and the woman in question glared at me in pure defiance.
"You're smiling now, but I'll have the last laugh!" she screamed, our surroundings beginning to shake tremendously.
"Run! It's going to collapse!"
"But what about Cassandra?"
"Fuck! We won't make it out if we delay!"
"We can't fucking leave her!"
I could hear Tristan arguing with Dominick, but my body was thrumming with energy. That flame inside me was flickering hot, but something different began to bubble up.
Something calmer, but compelling.
It tossed within me, wrapping around the burning entity inside me like a blazing wind that began to grow into a tornado. I lowered my eyes to my body as the world shook.
Rocks big and small were falling all around, blocking the entrances to the other paths and my only exit. A scream from the path where I'd kicked the orange-haired girl echoed before it was silenced with a booming noise.
My thoughts put two and two together, the image of a rock falling from its once-secure hold and ending the woman. No pity was felt for her death; besides, it was not like I had time to mourn the loss of someone that brought me here to die.
"Prepare to die!" the woman screamed.
I began to laugh, the tornado sensation growing and making me feel as light as a feather. It was so difficult to explain how I was feeling. I was free, like a bird getting ready to propel into the glorious sky and spread its wings and soar.
It was something I'd never felt in my life and I was ready to let the energy out.
My hands lifted up and I noticed the charging golden force twine around my arms and legs like vines from the earth. I outstretched my arms and closed my eyes.
I didn't need to think, my