Right in front of me, floating above another massive chain, was Ragnar.

He hovered there, his body wrapped in a thick haze of crimson mist. From his back stretched a thin chain-link, identical to the ones I'd seen before, anchoring him to the metal below like a puppet.

But it wasn't just the link. His eyes… they were gone. No irises, no life, only two red stones glowing where they used to be. He gripped his club like he didn't even recognize it, or me.

For a second, I couldn't move. That wasn't the Ragnar I knew. His eyes, once sharp, alive, and wild, were gone, replaced by dull red marbles.

He wasn't fighting anymore. He was being controlled.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My heart pounded as I reached out through the bond that had always linked me to my summons. The moment I did, something terrifying happened, my summoning chain appeared out of nowhere, stretching from my generating core straight toward Ragnar.

But instead of connecting to him like it always did, it began to dissolve, melting away before my eyes. The link of Essence between us… it was being overwritten, replaced by that crimson chain growing from his back.

I could feel it, the pull, the rejection, like something else had reached inside him and forced me out.

"Ragnar!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the chains. For a heartbeat, he froze. His body trembled faintly, and for just a moment, I thought he recognized me. His eyes flickered, just once, like the real Ragnar was trying to break free from somewhere deep inside.

But then it vanished.

A guttural roar tore from his throat, filled with hatred and pain, and before I could react, his body blurred. He appeared right in front of me, faster than I'd ever seen him move. His club came down like a meteor, tearing the air as it fell toward me. I flashed to my left and dodged, but the moment I moved the unseen force slammed me back down onto the nearest chain.

I hit the metal hard and rolled, readying myself as Ragnar came at me again. His club drove into my ribs. I clenched my jaw and threw a punch.

BOOM.

His body staggered back.

"Ragnar, fight it!" I shouted, forcing my voice into him, trying to reach whatever remained of him with the Law of Resonance.

For a heartbeat he faltered, like something inside answered me. Then the link at his back pulsed, and his club flashed silver. He drew on his Law of Attraction and a brutal pull gripped my limbs, trying to drag me down.

The force bit into me, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through.

I blinked out of the pull and flashed straight at him. My fist smashed into his stomach, driving the air from his lungs. He bent forward. I followed with a rising knee that rattled his skull. Before he could recover I was behind him, grabbed his tail, and with a roar hurled his weight up and slammed him down.

BOOM.

He hit the chain so hard his club flew from his hand. I slammed my palm onto his chest and muttered, "Freeze."

Cold spread from my hand, and ice crawled over him in a living pattern. In seconds he was trapped in a block of ice, steam rising as the crimson mist hissed away.

I stood over him and tried to breathe steady. My arm throbbed where the shockwave had ripped my fingers, but the pain pushed the panic down and sharpened my mind. Ragnar lay motionless, eyes dull red marbles behind the ice.

My mind raced, searching for a way to end this without hurting him, when a sharp crack split the silence. My eyes widened. The ice around Ragnar fractured, lines spreading fast across its surface.

Then, with a deafening roar, the entire block exploded.

Shards of ice scattered in every direction as Ragnar burst free, floating upward, his body wreathed in crimson mist that churned like a storm. The chain attached to his back pulsed faster, each throb feeding him more power.

"Damn it…" I muttered, rage boiling up again. Whoever had done this was forcing him to fight against his will.

"[Thunderflame Dominion]!"

Essence surged from my core.

A massive violet chain materialized in the air, spiraling around me like a serpent. Fire and lightning danced across its surface, each link glowing white-hot as the space around it distorted and hummed. I grasped one end, the heat searing through my palm but not burning me, it was mine to command.

With a shout, I hurled the chain toward Ragnar. He roared and brought his club down to smash it, but the chain moved like it was alive, twisting midair and coiling around the club before wrapping around his entire body.

Ragnar thrashed, his roars shaking the chains around us as the Dominion tightened, layer by layer, sparks bursting where lightning met fire.

"Stay down!" I growled, pulling with all my strength.

The chain responded, yanking Ragnar downward like a meteor. He crashed back onto the metal bridge. Cracks of lightning and fire rippled across his body as the Dominion held him bound.

For a moment, Ragnar went still but I could see it clearly. The link behind him was still pulsing, brighter and faster, like a heartbeat refusing to stop.

I clenched my teeth and raised my hand. "Tighten."

The Dominion obeyed. The violet chain constricted further, fire and lightning coiling tighter around Ragnar's body as he let out a muffled roar. Without wasting a second, I flashed forward, appearing behind him.

"[Absolute Domain]. [Right to Isolate]. [Right to Insight]."

The air around me warped as all three commands activated. The world shifted in my vision—runes, threads, and Essence flows all revealing themselves in perfect detail. I extended my left hand toward the puppet link connecting Ragnar's spine to the massive bridge below.

My command echoed through the domain. I isolated the energy pulsing within the link, cutting off its connection to Ragnar.

The backlash came instantly. A violent, crushing resistance slammed into my Psynapse, sending pain shooting through my skull. My vision flickered, my mind nearly went blank but I forced myself back, grinding my teeth and pushing my own will out.

My fingers closed around the base of the link near the bridge. I could see the runes along it flicker violently, gathering power for another detonation like before.

"Not this time."

I triggered my Equivalence Clause, sacrificing the stability of space around me to amplify my comprehension of the spatial law. The air distorted, and I folded the space around the base of the link into a tiny pocket no bigger than a human head.

The shockwave began building, visible even to the naked eye—a growing pulse of chaotic energy swelling within the link. I knew what was coming, and it wouldn't be enough to simply contain it.

"[Fractured Unity]!"

Natural Essence surged toward me, threads of raw creation drawn into my hand. My violet Essence flared, intertwining with it, and I fused both streams together, compressing them into a small brown orb suspended inside the spatial pocket.

My left hand remained locked on the link, maintaining Right to Isolate, preventing the energy and shockwave from escaping. The pressure built to unbearable levels, the space around me shook, my bones vibrated, the world hummed.

Then I released it.

The build-up snapped, first came the surge of energy, then the shockwave, and finally the marble detonated at the center of the pocket.

BOOM!

A blinding white light swallowed everything. The explosion ripped through the air, distorting my senses for an instant. The force threw Ragnar and me backward, flames and lightning scattering like shattered stars.

I gripped the Dominion chain with my right hand, refusing to let it go. My arm burned from the pull, but I held on, dragging Ragnar's body from falling into the abyss.

The echo of the blast faded slowly, leaving behind the faint shimmer of collapsing runes.

I exhaled hard, eyes locked on Ragnar's still form.

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