Aiden was still on the ground, where he had fallen when Corvus had released him. Blood still flowed down his right cheek, creating a warm and sticky trail that dripped onto the ancient stone slabs. Around him, the battle raged on; he heard Harold's muffled cries, the dull thuds of fists against flesh, Thomas's groans of pain.
But he couldn't move. Not yet.
Because something extraordinary was happening in his body.
It had started as a spark in his chest, right at heart level. A tiny, almost imperceptible warmth that pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeats. Then this warmth had begun to grow.
Thump-thump. Warmer. Thump-thump. More intense. Thump-thump. More alive.
The sensation first spread to his lungs, transforming each breath into a puff of liquid fire. But it wasn't painful - on the contrary, it was as if every cell in his alveoli was awakening for the first time, as if the air he breathed suddenly became richer, more nourishing.
The warmth then descended to his stomach, rising toward his throat, radiating into his arms. Aiden literally felt his muscles firming up, his reflexes sharpening, a new vitality flowing through his veins like a river of golden lava.
But above all, something was changing in his perception. As if a sixth sense had just awakened, allowing him to feel things he had never perceived before.
The answer came in the form of a new system message:
[COMPLETE AWAKENING OF VITAL FLAME ACCOMPLISHED]
[TRANSFORMATION IN PROGRESS...]
[STRENGTH: 3 → 5] [AGILITY: 4 → 6]
[ENDURANCE: 3 → 6]
[INTELLIGENCE: 7 → 8]
[NEW ABILITY UNLOCKED: SCOURGE READING (LEVEL 1)]
[DESCRIPTION: Allows partial perception and analysis of Scourge abilities. Accuracy limited to beginner level.]
The moment the message disappeared, Aiden felt his perception transform radically. Corvus, who was directing his human puppets with fierce concentration, suddenly became... readable.
It wasn't a clear vision. More like looking at a book through frosted glass - you could distinguish the shapes of words without being able to read them perfectly. But it was enough to understand the essentials.
Corvus was indeed a Scourge, but of a type Aiden had never imagined. His main ability was Bodily Control - he could take possession of human bodies and manipulate them like puppets. But his reading revealed something more precise.
- "The control isn't perfect," Aiden realized with sudden clarity. "He must maintain active concentration on each body he manipulates. The more he controls simultaneously, the weaker his grip on each one becomes."
And most importantly, he could perceive the connections, threads of dark energy that linked Corvus to the three survivors he was manipulating. These connections had a weakness: they were more fragile when the victim's emotion was intense.
- "Harold is suffering," he understood. "His distress is weakening Corvus's control over him."
Aiden slowly sat up, his strengthened muscles responding with new fluidity. The blood on his cheek still flowed, but the pain had become secondary in the face of this revelation.
Thomas was collapsing. Harold had just broken several of his ribs, and the two other survivors continued their merciless assault. The old man was no longer defending himself, unable to strike his friends even to save his own life.
- "I must do something," Aiden thought. "But how can I use what I just learned?"
His new ability whispered details about how Corvus's power worked. The Scourge used his own corrupted Vital Flame to temporarily "invade" that of his victims, creating a link of domination. But this link could be disrupted if another Vital Flame interfered with the process.
- "My Flame is different," Aiden realized. "Purer, less corrupted. Maybe I can..."
He reached toward Harold, focusing on this new sensation pulsing in his chest. His Scourge Reading indicated exactly where the connection between Corvus and his friend was located, a thread of dark energy that emanated from the puppeteer's heart to wrap around Harold's neck.
Aiden projected his own Vital Flame toward this connection point. It was clumsy, imprecise; he had no experience with this kind of thing. But his golden Flame made contact with Corvus's corrupted energy.
The effect was immediate.
Harold stopped abruptly in the middle of a blow, his eyes blinking rapidly as if emerging from a nightmare. He looked at his bloodied hands, then at Thomas's battered face, and his expression transformed into pure horror.
- "No... no, what have I done?" he sobbed, backing away.
Corvus pivoted toward Aiden, his eyes glowing with fury behind his mask.
- "Insolent brat! How dare you?"
But Aiden didn't stop there. His Scourge Reading now revealed that Corvus's concentration was shaken. The connections with the two other survivors were wavering. He projected his Vital Flame toward them as well.
It was exhausting. Like trying to lift weights far too heavy with muscles you'd never used. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he felt his new energy draining rapidly.
But it was working.
The second survivor blinked, momentarily regaining his own will. Then the third. All three backed away horrified, temporarily freed from the Scourge's grip.
- "Impossible!" roared Corvus. "You're just a kid! You can't undo my work!"
He raised his hands, attempting to reestablish his control over the three men. But Aiden could see, thanks to his new ability, that the required effort was enormous. The Scourge trembled under the necessary concentration.
He has limits, Aiden understood. He can't control indefinitely. And the more he forces it, the more he exhausts himself.
Thomas, taking advantage of this unexpected respite, retrieved his club and stood up painfully. Blood flowed from his mouth, his ribs were probably broken, but his eyes shone with renewed determination.
- "Harold, get the others away from here!" he ordered.
- "Thomas, I..." Harold was in tears, looking at his hands stained with his friend's blood.
- "It wasn't you! Now, go!"
But Corvus hadn't said his last word. Aiden sensed a change in the Scourge's aura, something darker, more dangerous. His Scourge Reading revealed that Corvus was preparing something different.
He's abandoning subtle control, he realized with horror. He's going to use a more brutal technique.
- "If I can't control you gently," hissed Corvus, "then I'll simply break your minds!"
The Scourge's aura exploded, but this time, it wasn't seeking to manipulate. It was seeking to destroy. A devastating wave of psychic energy surged toward everyone present.
Aiden sensed the attack coming thanks to his new ability. He just had time to reinforce his own Vital Flame around him like an improvised shield.
The impact threw him backward, but he resisted. Thomas and the survivors, however, weren't so lucky. They collapsed, their eyes rolling back, their bodies seized with convulsions.
Corvus was laughing now, a horrible sound that echoed throughout the chapel.
- "You see? This is what happens when you refuse my generosity! Now you'll all go mad, and I'll only have to recover your Vital Flames from your broken shells!"
Aiden stood up, staggering. His Scourge Reading indicated that this mental attack was Corvus's most powerful technique, but also the most costly. The Scourge was panting now, visibly exhausted.
- "This is my chance," Aiden thought. "He can't maintain this level of power much longer."
But how to stop him? He was stronger now, yes, but Corvus remained a formidable adversary. And Thomas and the others were sinking into madness...
His new ability whispered something to him. A weakness in Corvus's power. Something he could exploit if only he could manage to...
- "Come, little hero," sneered Corvus, approaching with his hands extended toward Aiden. "Come give me your beautiful Vital Flame. It will make an excellent addition to my collection."
Aiden backed away, his mind working at full speed. His Scourge Reading revealed more and more details about his adversary. There had to be a way...
And suddenly, he understood.
- "His mask," he realized. "It's not just a disguise. It's a focus for his powers. He channels his abilities through it!"
If Aiden could manage to tear it from him...
He took a deep breath, gathering all his newly awakened Vital Flame, and charged toward Corvus.