The air in the cathedral of crystal was a choking haze of steam and violet ozone. Elara staggered, her hand clutching her chest as the agony from the mate-bond ripped through her. In her mind’s eye, she saw Kaelen pinned against the obsidian gates, his golden blood smoking against the white ash of the forest.
"He is fading, Tide-Bringer," the Hollow King’s voice vibrated through the floor. "A noble end for a dog who didn't know his place. But you... you could be eternal. Merge with the Core. Let the Void refine the light into something that never flickers."
The King’s smoke-claws were inches from her throat, his vortex-face a swirling hunger.
Elara looked at the Star-Core. It was turning a dull, matte grey, the rhythmic pulse of the mountain slowing to a crawl. If she used her "Ultimate
