Water could conduct electricity. Ashley used electricity from her fingertips to scan below the surface, but she didn't pick up any trace of life. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief and let herself smile. Clearly, Thora had already broken free and escaped. With that, it was time for her to hunt down her own prey. She glanced at the number in her palm, then vanished into the jungle, her presence as fleeting as a shadow. On the other side of the island, Draven faced Thora and let his gaze sweep over her, speaking in a calm, measured tone. "You're carrying three fragments." "Are you planning to snatch them?" Thora narrowed her eyes, her voice chilly. Maybe it was learning that Draven might be related to Darius, or maybe it was just that identical face, but her disgust toward him had actually softened a little. "If we team up, we could complete the map pretty quickly," Draven said evenly. "At this stage, I'd bet a lot of the other candidates have already started forming teams." Thora furrowed her brows. He had a point. On an island like this, anyone acting alone would only have a harder time. Most people would've already started banding together to snatch up fragments. But trusting strangers had never been her style, especially not someone as ambiguous and unpredictable as Draven. His clear dislike for Darius, not to mention all his games and provocations, made it impossible for her to let her guard down. "No thanks." Thora turned and walked off. At the moment, she only had two usable fragments. She had neither the right information nor a spot marked by the pieces. She needed to find more fragments quickly if she wanted to leave the island on time. The second she rejected him, a chill seemed to descend over Draven, his presence as biting and icy as the silver mask he wore. Suddenly, thunder cracked overhead! The sky, hidden by the trees, darkened in a flash, and the whole forest fell into gloom. Lightning cut the darkness, lighting Draven's pale face for a split second. "It's about to rain," Thora murmured, glancing up at the sky. The air had grown thick and damp. She'd only taken a couple steps before a strange shift behind her caught her attention. Turning, she saw Draven shuddering violently. Suddenly dropping to one knee, his head bowed so low it nearly touched the ground, his face turning ghostly white. "What's wrong?" Thora asked, her frown deepening. Draven gave no answer, sunk deep in the shadows. Another flash of lightning lit up the sky, and thunder crashed all around them. Draven trembled even harder, fists digging into the mud. "You're afraid of thunder?" Thora probed. He didn't answer. He only tensed his back and bit down harder on his lip. Thora was full of questions, but she kept moving. She owed a stranger like Draven nothing, and she had no obligation to stop for him. "Don't go!" His hoarse shout rang out behind her, so raw with vulnerability it stopped her in her tracks. But she didn't turn around. A moment later, rain came pouring down, wind whipping through the trees until the island seemed like a living hell. Her black boots halted in the mud. In the end, she turned back and walked quickly to Draven.Boom! Thunder crashed above as rain beat down. He curled in on himself, shaking so hard he lost every trace of his usual threat. He looked more like a rain-soaked, helpless cub than a predator. For once, neither Thora nor Amie had any thought of attacking Draven. Whether it was his resemblance to Darius or simply the pride of a fighter, they simply couldn't bring themselves to do it. Both Thora and Draven were drenched. Their waterproof gear blocked the chill, but their hair stuck flat to their faces. Thora brushed her wet bangs aside, her pale face thrown into sharper focus. "You're really scared of thunder?" she asked softly, bending over him. Draven slowly looked up. The blood-red glint in his eyes flickered, fierce as a beast. But when he saw Thora, all the fierceness faded away. Another bolt of lightning crashed, and he clapped his hands over his ears, burying his head in his knees. Thora rubbed her forehead. How can someone this strong have a weakness like this? Suddenly, she wondered if this could be a side effect of his unusual ability. With an ability as terrifying as his, it only made sense there would be a hidden flaw. The thought struck Thora as almost unbelievable. But seeing Draven so helpless, Thora couldn't bring herself to walk away. She bit her lip resignedly and pulled Draven to his feet. The moment she got him upright, his full weight collapsed onto her. Luckily, Thora was far stronger than she looked—otherwise, she'd have been knocked over. What truly surprised her was that Draven's height and weight were exactly the same as Darius's. So she just slung him over her shoulder, arms locking him in place, and started trudging through the mud. Every step left a print twice as deep as when she'd walked alone. On her back, Draven drifted in and out of consciousness, letting Thora drag him wherever she wanted. Rain blurred his vision; all he could see was the brown top of Thora's hair and her tall, straight back. A sliver of dark energy seeped from his body on instinct. If he unleashed his ability, he could make Thora disappear in an instant... And Darius would go berserk. The thought alone drew a twisted smile to Draven's pale lips.