The moment the golden thread snapped, the invisible chains binding Kael shattered into a million wisps of black smoke.
But he didn't feel the release. He didn't feel anything at all.
Where there was once a roaring, vibrant fire of absolute devotion, a comforting hum that whispered mine with every beat of his heart... there was only silence. A cold, deafening, terrifying silence. The void in his soul was so vast and abrupt that it physically dropped him to his knees in the dirt.
"Elara!" Kael’s voice cracked, a raw, devastated sound tearing from his throat.
He scrambled across the cold earth, his massive hands shaking violently as he pulled her limp, unconscious body into his arms. She was cold. Not dead, but the radiant, golden warmth of their connection was completely gone. His in
