The forest lay silent after the Chain-Bearer’s fall.
Ash drifted through the air like snow, glowing faintly as it dissolved into nothingness. The broken trees still smoldered, the soil blackened where fire and light had collided.
Aric knelt in the dirt, chest heaving, sword point buried in the ground to keep him upright. His arms trembled with fatigue, his scar still pulsing faintly like a wound that would never close.
The girl clung to his side, face buried against his arm. She hadn’t let go since the fight ended, as if fearing that if she did, he would vanish into the ashes too.
Seraphel leaned against a fallen trunk, both hands gripping his staff. His robes were torn, streaked with blood and soot. His breath came shallow, and the light that usually glowed around him had dimmed to a
