He didn’t stop.
Aldric finally understood what Marcus intended. “Fool! That will kill you!”
“I KNOW!”
Marcus reached the rune, planted both paws on it, and poured everything into it—his life force, his magic, his very soul.
The rune exploded.
The explosion was contained—Marcus had forced it inward, shielding the rest of us.
And yet, he achieved exactly what he set out to do.
The ritual circle collapsed.
The building control shattered.
Warriors gasped as their minds snapped back to their own.
Marcus’s body fell, smoking and broken.
“NO!” I ran before I even realised it, Kael right beside me.
We reached Marcus together.
He was still breathing.
His wolf form had already reverted to human, the wounds far beyond anything healing magic could mend.
“Marcus,” I choked, “why? Wh
