Isiah's lungs burned as he gulped in air. He hadn't had to run so fast since Ishmar and it was starting to hurt. At the sounds of screams, he stopped and Nerin's arm was ripped from his grasp. He tried to get a glimpse of what was going on in the laboratory, but the path twisted and turned, obscuring his vision.

Rina rushed past him. "Isiah! What are you doing?" she cried, panic in her eyes and voice. No other footsteps followed them down the path yet, but it was only a matter of time. With a hiss of breath, he continued towards the boat and tried desperately to ignore the voice in the back of his head. It screamed for him to go back and help Emrick.

He didn't deserve to die for them; he barely knew them. And yet, he'd been so willing. For reasons Isiah barely understood, a man he had met only a couple of days beforehand was willing to sacrifice himself so they could get to a boat. It sounded so pointless. Isiah had the power to save him, if only he knew how to use it.

Rage flooded through him. He was angry with Harudan for everything he'd done, angry with Emrick for being stupid enough to sacrifice himself and angry with himself for being unable to stop it. If he was the Beast, it meant he could save people, but he was already doing a terrible job of it.

He tried to speed up when he heard footsteps pounding against the ground behind him, but his legs were so tired. Whoever was behind him would catch him easily, but Rina and Nerin were still far ahead of him. They would be able to get away if he caused enough of a distraction. Emrick had tried, but there were far too many for one man to deal with.

His fingers clenched tightly around the stone. There had to be a way for him to use it without hurting anybody. But it was fire, it was full of rage and out of control. The one time he had tried it, he'd hurt Nerin. He wasn't going to do that again.

He didn't get a chance to think it through before a hand grabbed the back of his shirt and yanked. He let out a yelp as he toppled to the cold ground and winced at the pain in his back. A guard stood above him, face obscured by the helmet they wore. It reminded him too much of the person he had killed back in Ishmar and those he had burned at the Sanctum.

The guard moved and Isiah finally caught sight of the blade in their hands. He rolled to the side and scrambled backwards on his knees. The stone sat in front of him, glowing the same orange colour, taunting him. Before he could think properly, it was in his hands and he was pushing himself to his feet.

The guard's sword glinted in the light of the stone. Isiah had no idea if they were one of the ones from the Sanctum, but he could tell when they froze that they had at least heard of what he did. "Stay back!" he roared, his voice breaking. He sounded like a child, not the Beast that was Promised.

Other guards came around the corner, closely followed by Jonin, whose sword was stained with blood. Isiah had heard the yells, but he had no idea who the blood belonged to. Emrick or Turian, or both. Either way, if he didn't think of something fast, his blood would join it.

There were too many of them. One was too many for him, but now there were four, and one of them was Sir Jonin. "I said, stay back!" he yelled again, his breath coming out in sharp pants. He had no idea where Rina and Nerin were, but he hoped that they had made it to the boat. If he died here, what would it mean for Vishera? He was supposed to be the Beast, but what happened if the Beast died before he could do anything?

Jonin smirked through his helmet and took a single step forward. It was enough for panic to flood Isiah's veins and for his hand to clench tighter around the stone. When he'd been trying to light the fire that night in the forest, it had taken all of his concentration, but in front of the guards, filled with panic and the fear of death, it took no time at all.

The flames licked at his hand and arm, but he felt no pain. His skin didn't burn or change. The stone knew to keep him safe. It wouldn't keep anyone else safe though. If he let it, it would kill them all. But unlike the first time, he had some sense of control over the power. He let the flames climb his arm, knowing that he would be fine.

It took all of his will not to let the flames shoot forward. He couldn't kill anyone else, but he could scare them away, give Rina and Nerin more time to get away and maybe give him enough time to catch up to them. "I told you, stay away!" he roared the words this time and his voice didn't break or squeak.

Most of the guards took a step back, but not Jonin, he stayed where he was, his smirk barely visible through his helmet. Isiah slowly shuffled back, but he already knew that if he didn't try to attack, they would kill him in an instant. Peace was not going to be useful as the Beast, but he would never let go of his teachings.

A figure dashed out from between the trees, the sword in their hands shining in the glow of the stone. Faster than Isiah had ever seen anyone move, the figure sliced through the neck of a guard and impaled another through the stomach. Jonin jumped backwards with an enraged cry and whirled towards his attacker.

Emrick sneered through the blood on his face and glanced at Isiah out of the corner of his eye. Isiah let out a quiet sigh of relief and continued to move down the path. His steps were slow so that no one noticed his silent escape.

The pale apprentice didn't bother to stay and fight. He darted past Jonin and grabbed Isiah's free arm, pulling him down the path. The sharp movement caused him to lose control of the flames for a brief moment and they spread across the snowy track. As fast as he could, Isiah pulled the flames back until they were gone. All that was left was the stone, glowing hot in his hand. He couldn't lose control again.

Somehow, Emrick was still alive, which meant that Turian was dead. Something had happened when Isiah turned his back and he may never know what it was, but it had resulted in yet another person dying. Too many people had died in the few short weeks since he left the safety of the Sanctum and he hated it.

Rina and Nerin were still running ahead of them, the former looking over her shoulder at them as they caught up. She breathed a sigh of relief but the look in her eyes quickly turned to one of fear. That was when he finally heard the sound of footsteps behind him again. They never would have gotten away from Jonin that easily.

He shook Emrick's hand from his wrist. He didn't want to lose control of the flames and hurt him like he had Nerin. The boat sat on the ice ahead of them. All they had to do was push it into the water. But the boat was heavy and ice unyielding. It would be difficult.

"Don't," Emrick told him, panting loudly. "You and Nerin push the boat into the water. Rina and I will fight."

Isiah wanted to argue, wanted to help in some way, but all the flames wanted to do was hurt people. He couldn't have that. Getting the boat in the water was the most important thing. He just needed Emrick to buy him some time. "Don't get killed," he whispered, unsure if Emrick even heard the words.

He dropped the stone back in his pocket as they reached the boat, the wood cold against his fingers. Nerin was next to him in an instant, panting from the exertion. Isiah gave him a brief once over to make sure he was uninjured. The boy nodded in assurance before twisting to look behind them.

Jonin and the others had caught up to them, their swords drawn. Blood of yet another innocent old man dripped from the tip of the guard captain's blade. Rina pulled her sword from its sheath and stood the same way Isiah had seen her teach Nerin. Fear washed over him, making his limbs shake as angry butterflies swarmed his stomach. He could be about to watch her die and there was nothing he could do about it.

Rina and Emrick shared a look that Isiah couldn't decipher. He took that as his signal to move. With a grunt, he and Nerin pushed the bag-filled boat towards the river. His feet slipped on the ice and he nearly slammed into the edge of the boat, but he hauled himself up, willing himself to move faster. If they moved quickly enough, they might be able to get Rina and Emrick in the boat with them.

"Come on, come on, come on," he muttered, his teeth gritted. The boat slid across the thin ice, wobbling from side to side.

The loud clangs of metal rang out behind him and he winced. He knew they needed to get the boat in the river, but he needed to see what was going on. Emrick and Rina moved in sync, almost as if they were dancing together. Their subtle movements and graceful swings of their blades were a sharp contrast to the harsh, powerful blows Jonin and his group dealt.

"Isiah!" Nerin hissed, pulling his attention back to the task at hand. "Come on! They'll be fine!" He wished it were true, but a large part of him doubted it. Emrick was a better fighter than Isiah had expected, but he and Rina were still vastly outnumbered.

The hull of the boat finally dropped into the rushing river and it took all of Isiah's strength not to let it get pulled along by the current. "Get in," he told Nerin and cringed at the pain in his arms. His muscles burned almost as much as his lungs.

The boy jumped into the boat gingerly, finding a spot among the bags and grabbing the paddles. Only a little bit further and they could be gone, but he wasn't going to leave without Rina or Emrick, especially not after the former's promise to him. "Rina! Emrick!" he yelled, voice filled with panic. "We have to go!"

At first, it didn't look like either of them heard him, but then Emrick took a tiny step back. Jonin's blade collided with his and he grunted with the force of it. Isiah made a noise, longing to run and help him in some way, but if he let go of the boat, it would be gone, taking Nerin away with it.

The stone was still in his pocket. He needed both his hands to keep the boat steady, but maybe there was a way to use it without holding it. He could feel its power against his side, if he just latched onto that, then there was a possibility he could do something. All he wanted to do was scare them off like he had last time. Emrick and Rina would only need a few seconds to get to the boat.

He concentrated on the heat that enveloped him, trying to grab ahold of it. With the stone in his hand, it was easier, but he would have to make do. The smell of smoke filled his nostrils and he held back a gag.

His jacket was burning, but it didn't matter, the flames wouldn't hurt him. With barely a thought from him, the fire shot backwards, flying through the air until it reached solid ground. The guard nearest jumped back with a cry, straight into Rina's waiting blade. They fell to the ground with a loud gurgle, joining the mess of bodies and blood already mixed with the snow and dirt.

At the sight of the flames, Emrick turned to him and took a step forward, but a pained cry stopped him. Rina's sword landed on the ground with a clatter as her hand moved to grab at the fist in her hair. Jonin made a please noise and raised his sword high, the metal shining in the light of the fire.

Fear was like a rock in his stomach and his hands froze against the wood of the boat. Nerin made a noise in the back of his throat and leaned forward so that he almost tipped out of the boat. Isiah couldn't push him back, couldn't do anything. The flames danced behind Jonin, taunting him as Rina cried out again, scrambling in the snow.

Isiah didn't need to do anything, Emrick was there. His thin sword pierced Jonin's shoulder, blood falling from the tip of it to stain the already dirtied snow. The knight let go of Rina's hair, allowing her to fall to her knees, and whirled around the face Emrick. There was a smirk on the apprentice's face as he darted backwards.

Rina scrambled to her feet, grabbed her sword, and ran towards the boat. "Isiah, get in! We have to go!" she yelled as she slid across the ice. Nerin grabbed the sleeve of her coat and pulled her in, both landing with a loud thud on the bags.

"Not until Emrick's with us!" he yelled back, eyes still locked on the other man's form. He ducked under a harsh swing from Jonin and bolted towards the river and the boat, waving his arms frantically. With a great heave, Isiah pushed the boat towards the water, grunting as it slammed into the rushing current.

Emrick jumped in next to him. "Come on! We're good to go," he said, but Isiah didn't get in. He needed to make sure. He needed to bring his flames back to him. He couldn't let them rage.

But as he tried, slowly pulling them around Jonin's hulking form and towards him, a hand grabbed his shoulder and tugged. He fell backwards into the boat, crying out as he lost control of the fire. It shot past Jonin and through the trees. "No!" Isiah screamed, reaching out as though he could grab them and pull them back.

The laboratory didn't stand a chance against the wall of flame that rushed towards it. Isiah pulled the stone from his pocket as the boat bobbed down the river, quickly moving away from the destruction, but there was nothing he could do. In less than a minute, the building was engulfed in orange heat, dark smoke billowing towards the clouds.

And before it all stood Jonin, watching them drift down the river, bodies littered around him. Isiah's shaking hands pressed against the edge of the boat and he longed to throw the stone in the water. He didn't dare look at Emrick, didn't want to see the heartbreak and anger in his face. But try as his might, he couldn't ignore the choked whisper of "No," from next to him.