Rex's head ached with sharp, searing pain radiating outward from behind his left eye. The magical beacon continued to feed him a disorienting bird’s-eye view with a dizzying panorama of the winding streets and rooftops of Coveside. The split vision was maddening. The competing perspectives fractured his focus, forcing him to instinctively close his eye to block out the aerial view. The momentary relief was fleeting; every time he reopened it, the headache spiked, the flood of images crashing against his senses in relentless waves.

  Steering the motorcycle became a trial of split-second decisions. Carts, vehicles, and startled pedestrians flashed by as Rex swerved and veered, narrowly avoiding disaster at every turn. Gnash’s trail carved a path through the Harbor’s maze-like streets, but he was already too far ahead, slipping further away.

  Rex clenched his jaw and tightened his muscles in frustration.

  Athelun was built in layers, carved into the sheer cliff faces throughout the city’s unique layout and there were several locations in the harbor that loomed over the bypass. Stairways, drainage canals, and winding roads connected Athelun’s layers. If he could reach one of the overlooks that provided a scenic view of the Maysburry Bypass, he might have a chance to cut off Gnash’s head start. It was risky but letting Gnash escape wasn’t an option.

  With a growl rumbling in his throat, Rex revved the engine and veered sharply into the narrow arteries that snaked upward through the district. The streets became tighter, their once-open paths giving way to residential spaces. The world narrowed to a blur of brick and shadow as he weaved through the tight confines, his shoulders brushing dangerously close to weathered walls, parked vehicles and startled pedestrians. The bike’s tires skidded on the uneven cobblestones as he rounded bends and corners climbing higher and higher.

  The road ended in a ninety degree bend, and a set of steep stairs carved into the cliffside. Without hesitation, Rex hit the throttle and aggressively pulled the bike back. The suspension groaned under the strain as the machine hit and climbed the stairs. He launched into the air at the top, and gravity yanked the bike back down onto the road above. Holding steady, he forced the bike forward and continued up a slight incline.

  Rex spotted the Coveside Height’s Park overlook. Perched at one of the highest points in the harbor district, it offered a commanding view of the Maysburry Bypass. He gunned the bike forward, navigating through a narrow drainage canal that ran up a final incline. The path was barely wide enough for the bike, but he pushed the bike harder, the engine screaming as he approached the lip at the end of the canal. The would be improvised ramp loomed closer, and Rex bared his teeth as he launched into the air.

  For a heart-stopping moment, gravity held him weightless. The bike soared over the ten-foot barrier wall separating the overlook from the streets, and then, with a bone-jarring thud, the tires hit dirt.

  The bike skidded wildly, ripping at the grass for purchase. Rex’s heart thundered in his chest as he wrestled to regain control, his hands gripping the handlebars with raw determination. The motorcycle wobbled dangerously but stayed upright.

  Tires screeched to a halt at the edge of the overlook. Gravel sprayed in all directions, drawing startled gasps and yelps. Feral birds took flight from the vegetation in the area, and families and park goers darted away in shock. All eyes were on Rex as he stood astride the motorcycle.

  Panting heavily, he brought his fingers to his temple and cut the aetheric tie to the beacon. He felt immediate relief from the headache he had been subjecting himself to. Rubbing his eye, he gave himself a few moments to re-adjust his vision before surveying the view before him.

  The Maysburry Bypass unfurled like a concrete serpent below, its lanes buzzing with the glints of vehicles caught in the late-morning sun. From where Rex sat, it was clear that it was not going to be a small leap. The gap stretched sixty, maybe seventy-five feet by his estimate, and clearing it would require far more than the raw speed he would be able to obtain within the boundaries of the park. It didn’t take him long to spot Gnash weaving recklessly through the lanes below.

  Rex set the bike into a neutral gear and centered his weight as he steadied the machine. The motorcycle’s engine rumbled low. With his hands gripping the handlebars tightly, Rex began to walk the bike backward, his movements deliberate and measured.

  The gravel shifted beneath the tires. Rex’s muscles tensed with the effort, his paws digging into the uneven ground as he adjusted his angle, lining up the bike with the narrow stretch of open space leading to the overlook’s edge.

  Behind him, the murmurs of the gathered park-goers grew louder. The animal's voices were a mixture of confusion, awe, and alarm at the sight of the glowing motorcycle and its determined rider. Rex didn’t spare them a glance, his focus locked on the task ahead.

  Satisfied with the distance, he planted his paws firmly, letting out a breath as he settled back onto the seat. The bike creaked slightly beneath him as he adjusted his grip on the handlebars. The gap stretched before him like an invitation to disaster, but Rex’s jaw tightened.

  A growl rumbled in Rex’s chest as he revved the engine, the sound rising to a defiant roar.

  He reached for the resonant dangling from his wrist—a jagged shard of obsidian bound in copper wire, its edges smooth from years of use. His fingers traced its surface in a practiced motion. Sparks of energy danced across his hand, crackling like static as they leapt to life.

  In the distance, Gnash’s car tore through the bypass traffic. Rex didn't have time to really think through the spell, and improper calculations could result in a missed jump.

  He took a deep and calming breath.

  “Alright,” he muttered. “I’ve had dumber ideas than this.”

  With a sharp flick of his wrist, he began tracing aetheric lines into the air. Intricate arcs and flourishes of cerulean light coalesced before he guided the energy down into the motorcycle beneath him. The frame hummed, its metal flaring to life.

  The bike came alive, its engine growling with an otherworldly resonance. Energy coiled around its frame, pooling beneath it in waves of glowing light. With a twist of the throttle, Rex sent the machine surging forward. Gravel sprayed from the tires, and the overlook’s edge rushed toward him.

  Park-goers shouted in shock, their cries echoing as the bike rocketed past them. The gap yawned open before him, and for a fleeting moment, gravity seemed to hesitate. Rex and his glowing machine launched into the open air, the cliffside dropping away beneath him.

  Wind howled past, tugging at his coat and whipping through his fur and tail. His fingers moved instinctively, tracing the final sigils of the spell in mid-air. Aether surged through the bike, wrapping around its frame and pooling below in a shimmering cloud. The motorcycle glowed brighter, streaking through the sky like a comet against the gray cliffs of Athelun.

  The bypass rushed to meet him.

  The impact was abrupt as the bike landed, its tires shrieking as they skidded across the asphalt. Rex gritted his teeth, fighting to keep the handlebars steady as the glowing energy dissipated in a burst of sparks.

  Finally, the bike steadied, its tires gripping the road with a fierce screech. Rex glanced up, his focus narrowing on the black muscle car tearing ahead. With a grim smile, Rex twisted the throttle, the bike roaring forward with renewed ferocity.

  Gnash’s vehicle weaved across the lanes, its exhaust spitting fire. Horns blared and tires screeched in protest, a chaotic symphony left in Gnash's wake as Rex closed the gap.

  Rex leaned forward, twisting the throttle as the bike roared beneath him, tearing through the lanes in pursuit. The distance between them shrank rapidly, and it became clear that Gnash noticed.

  His hand shot out of the driver’s side window, fingers splayed wide. An orange glow crackled to life, coiling around his hand like a nest of serpents. The energy pulsed and snapped, growing more unstable with every second. Gnash clenched his fist releasing the spell with a deafening crack.

  The energy hit the road and the asphalt beneath rippled violently under a seismic wave.

  Rex barely had time to react.

  The shockwave tore through the bypass, sending vehicles skidding in every direction. A minivan spun out of control, screeching across lanes before colliding with the guardrail in a twisted mess of metal. A sedan swerved violently, narrowly missing Rex before slamming into the divider.

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  Gnash swerved hard into the adjacent lane, cutting sharply in front of a semi-truck. The truck’s horn blared in a deafening wail of protest. Gnash responded by flicking his hand out the window to form a swirling orb of orange aether that coalesced in the air.

  For a fleeting moment, the volatile energy hovered, crackling with anticipation as the truck hit it. Then, with a sharp snap of Gnash’s fingers, the energy erupted.

  The explosion ripped through the air with a thunderous boom, a shockwave of raw force demolishing the truck’s front end in an instant. The hood crumpled inward, steel folded like paper as the impact sent the entire vehicle lurching to the side. Tires shrieked against the asphalt.

  Smaller cars scattered in terror, horns blaring and brakes screeching as the trailer jackknifed, swinging across the highway like a monster of screeching steel.

  Rex’s heart pounded and he shouted, "Damn it!" as he twisted the throttle desperately scanning for an opening through the impending disaster.

  Instinct kicked in.

  He reached for the resonant on his belt and pulled energy from it, pooling aether into the palm of his hand in a swift, practiced motion. Energy surged through his body, coalescing into a shimmering barrier just as he leaned low, dropping the bike onto its side.

  The world blurred as Rex slid beneath the truck, sparks erupting where metal met asphalt. Energy flared from his barrier as it shielded him from the ground. The semi’s undercarriage roared above him, its wheels a deafening blur of rubber and steel. With a final pulse of energy, Rex detonated the barrier spell bouncing the bike back upright as he cleared the other side of the semi.

  The bike landed back onto its wheels, wobbling for a split second before Rex wrestled it under control. As he got his bearings and began to push the bike forward, Gnash sideswiped a van, sending it careening across lanes.

  The SUV teetered, then toppled onto its side, sliding across the road in a hail of sparks and shattered glass. Rex raised his bracer, and with a flex and focus, he created a pulse of energy that rippled outward into a barrier that deflected a flying piece of debris.

  Rex pushed the bike forward, and closed in on Gnash. Wind screamed past his ears matching the furious roar of the bike’s engine. Edging closer, Rex used one hand to steady the handlebars while the other reached for the resonant strapped to his belt. With a flick of his fingers, he sent a focused pulse of aether surging forward toward the car’s back quarter panel.

  The blast connected with a thunderous crack, the impact denting the car’s frame and popping the trunk. Tires shrieked in protest, leaving thick black streaks in their wake as Gnash fought to regain control over the vehicle. Rex unholstered Steel. He needed something to stop Gnash, and he needed to make sure it happened quickly. Steel was an anchor for many spells he would channel, and given the stress of the circumstance, he needed that assistance to make sure the energy he spent was effective. He channeled the aether stored in the barrel of the gun, and the runes etched into the metal lit up with a cerulean glow. Rex lined up a shot on the vehicle.

  It did not really matter where the blast was going to hit, as it was going to likely demolish the car regardless.

  Before he could pull the trigger and launch the spell, Gnash’s hand shot out of the window, fingers crackling bright with a radiant orange energy. It took less than a second for the energy to pulse in the air, twisting and snapping as it condensed into a dense sphere of raw destruction.

  Rex’s stomach clenched. His spell was not ready.

  "Don't do it you bastard," he muttered to himself, his grip firming on the handlebars. His eyes locked onto the seething energy coiled in Gnash’s palm. Before he could react, Gnash hurled the sphere downward. The impact struck and detonated against the bypass. The road convulsed and concrete and steel erupting in violent geysers of debris. The entire stretch of highway crumbled, vanishing ahead of Rex’s tires before he could react.

  The bike launched off a portion of the collapsing highway and into open air.

  For a brief, heart-stopping moment, Rex hung weightless—his breath caught in his throat, the wreckage below spiraling into the depths. Twisted steel, shattered vehicles, and chunks of concrete plummeted into the fresh abyss.

  Wind tore at his coat, his fur whipping wildly as gravity reclaimed its hold. The bike tilted, its frame buckling under the strain of the fall.

  Baring his teeth, Rex clamped his legs tight around the seat and yanked the handlebars, shifting his weight to stabilize the descent.

  Tires slammed onto the fractured remnants of the bypass, the impact of which, rattled through Rex’s body. Sparks exploded in dazzling arcs as the bike skidded wildly, struggling for purchase on the uneven asphalt.

  Rex fought against the slide. His muscles screamed with exertion, but he held on, forcing the machine steady. With a split second to breathe, he was off again.

  Ahead, Gnash’s car carved through traffic, leaving chaos in his wake. Rex twisted the throttle, pushing the engine to its absolute limit, his teeth bared in a grimace.

  The distance between them closed rapidly.

  Within moments, he was alongside Gnash, the two vehicles tearing down the bypass neck and neck. The shimmering aetheric glow of the bike cast rippling light over the car’s sleek black surface, highlighting every dent and scrape from their relentless pursuit. Rex’s grip tightened as he leveled his gaze at the driver’s window, spotting Gnash’s twisted snarl from within the darkened interior.

  With a practiced motion, Rex took hold of Steel again, the revolver’s engraved runes pulsing faintly as he channeled energy into the weapon. With one hand steady on the bike, he leveled the barrel toward the car’s side panel. There was no time for precision—no time for a controlled burst. He needed to stop Gnash by any means necessary.

  Gnash’s eyes flicked toward the weapon, and without hesitation, his gold tooth gleamed through a wicked toothy grin. His hand snapped out of the window. The air vibrated with a sickening hum as an aetheric shockwave erupted outward from the car and a rippling wall of force tore through the bike.

  The blast slammed into him with the force of a freight train, and the bike buckled instantly. The front tire shredded under the assault, and the entire front end dipped violently toward the asphalt.

  Time fractured into endless, unbearable fragments as the bike’s rear wheel lifted off the ground. For a heartbeat, Rex felt weightless—a fragile, fleeting time where the world seemed to pause and mock him in the moment.

  And then the weight of reality came crashing back into focus.

  The front of the bike hit the road first, and sparks erupted in brilliant, blinding arcs as the frame skidded violently across the asphalt. The screech of metal tearing against the road was deafening. The bike flipped beneath him launching itself up into the air and launching him forward like a rag doll.

  Rex’s thoughts screamed in raw panic, his mind scrambling for anything to stop what was happening. Control was gone. He couldn’t breathe. Everything happened so fast, and his mind could not process the moment to moment. His body moved on pure instinct, a mixture of training and desperation taking over where reason failed.

  He still held Steel in a vice grip, the runes across the barrel still glowing brightly with unspent power. The energy he’d been channeling surged wildly, threatening to lash out in every direction. He barely held it together as he forced the power inward. It wasn’t precise—it wasn’t meant to be. All of the energy he could find. Anything he could claim, he pulled it into himself. It was dangerous, it was potentially explosive. He needed the power and he needed it quickly. He needed to be able to coordinate, to plan, but there just wasn’t enough time.

  The energy poured out of him in a wild, desperate burst, wrapping around his body in a shimmering, uneven barrier.

  The road quickly approached.

  Rex twisted his body, pulling his arms and legs in close as the shimmering shield flickered to life around him. He braced, his breath catching in his throat, knowing there was no way to fully protect himself from what was coming next.

  Then the ground met him.

  The impact was immediate and unforgiving. His body slammed into the asphalt, and the world spun violently as he tumbled end over end. Pain erupted with every brutal twist—his shoulder wrenched, his ribs compressed, his legs slammed against the ground like a toy caught in a whirlwind. The shimmering barrier around him buckled and flickered, holding just enough to keep him from breaking completely.

  The final blow came when he collided with the concrete barrier lining the edge of the road. The impact drove the air from his lungs in a sharp, agonized gasp. His head snapped back, stars bursting in his vision as his body slumped against the unyielding wall.

  For a moment, the world fell silent. The spinning stopped. His fingers twitched weakly, still gripping the hilt of Steel, and he could feel the faint hum of dissipating aether around him.

  He was alive.

  For a moment, everything blurred into a haze of sound, his heartbeat a dull, rhythmic thrum in his ears. His barrier had held—barely—but the fiery ache in his body told him he'd be feeling it in the morning.

  The mangled remains of the bike spun to a halt several yards away, unrecognizable as the original vehicle.

  With a groan, Rex forced himself onto his hands and knees. Blood dripped from a cut along his cheek, mixing with the grime matting his fur. His vision swam, the world tilting in unsteady waves. He blinked hard, willing himself back to clarity.

  Gnash’s car was already disappearing into the distance. There was nothing more he could do.

  Rex slammed a fist into the asphalt, fury boiling beneath the exhaustion. It hurt, but he didn’t care. He could hear the distant wail of sirens closing in and the aftermath of the carnage behind him.

  The faint hum of helicopter blades grew louder and flashing lights approached from the distance. Soon, the bypass would be swarming with media, police, and emergency medical services.

  It was a warzone, and Gnash had escaped.

  Rex staggered to his feet, his entire body protesting. Blood trickled down from his temple, the steady drip a grim reminder of just how close he'd come to death. His breathing was ragged, shallow, and with every exhale, his anger only grew stronger.

  The fire inside him refused to die, but there was nowhere left to direct it.

  “Damn it!” he shouted, long and hard, his fists clenched with fury that had no place else to go.