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The bunker was still almost an hour away, and right now, that seemed like an eternity.

‘I don’t understand,’ said Hector. ‘Why couldn’t she stop the lightning? I mean, she could stop those crystals and... weren’t they stronger?’

‘No,’ said Garovel. ‘It has to do with the nature of soul-strengthening techniques. Karkash’s soul power is clearly much more potent than Andres’. If I’d realized, I would’ve had you warn her.’

‘I still don’t follow...’

‘Soul-strengthening techniques only increase the physical attributes of something, so even though Karkash’s lightning is made more powerful, that still doesn’t prevent your metal from conducting it. Andres’ crystals, on the other hand, have no such interaction, so they can plow through your metal despite being objectively weaker.’

‘Gah...’

‘That’s what makes these fights so volatile,’ said Garovel. ‘When soul power is thrown into the mix, it’s difficult to predict how abilities will react to one another.’

He spent most of the ride back in a state of punishing anxiety. He tried not to relive the battle, to not dwell on what he might have been able to do differently, but it was impossible. And gradually, all of his confusion and worry evolved into anger. That familiar feeling, boiling in his chest. His physical enhancements wore off after a while. Garovel held back the pain, so only the exhaustion hit him, but he was still more pissed off than tired.

‘You need to call Gina as soon as we get back,’ said Garovel. ‘A lot has just changed, and we’ll need to act very quickly.’

When they arrived, they found the King waiting for them in the garage. The look on his face was of relief until he saw the state Lynnette was in. “Is she okay?”

Hector annihilated the metal around her and said, “Lynn, can you hear me?”

Her eye opened slightly, and she took a long breath. “Yeah...” She tried to get off the bike by herself but tensed up too much.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’ve... got you.” With a little more help from Garovel, he lifted her off the motorcycle. He carried her into a back room and rested her on a bed there.