"What do you mean, you want to give it up?" I demanded, my voice shaking with a mixture of disbelief and fear.
Elias stood before me, his face set in a grim determination that made my heart ache. His once bright eyes now seemed dim, clouded by the weight of a decision he was about to make.
"I have to," Elias said, his voice low but steady. "I’ve seen what this power can do. What it could do to us. To everyone." He looked at me—his twin sister, the one person who understood him best—and I saw the anguish in his gaze. "We can’t control it anymore, Eira. It’s too much. And if we keep it... we might destroy everything we’ve fought to protect."
"No," I whispered, stepping toward him, but the words caught in my throat. "Elias, you can’t—"
"I can," he cut me off, shaking his head. "You don’t
