And the world detonated.
Alora screamed as white light burst out of her, blinding and wild. The air howled with it. Rune barely had time to raise a hand before the blast hit him square in the chest.
Thunder split the air as he was hurled backward, smashing into the far wall. The mountain itself shuddered, the echo roaring through the stone like an earthquake.
The Harbingers cried out somewhere in the smoke. Even the shadows recoiled, retreating into the fissures of the earth.
Smoke curled off Rune’s chest where the light had struck. His chest was charred black, singed and burning, the edges still glowing faintly. A single drop of blood slid down his lip before his body knitted itself back together, skin smoothing over raw muscle, the divine pull of his power stitching him whole.
Across the arena, Alora sat frozen in the sand. Her hands trembled, palms glowing from within. Veins of silver light spiraled up her arms like living vines, pulsing with each breath.
Her voice shook. “What… what did I just?—”
Rune winced, grunting painfully as he pushed himself from the wall, his gaze fixed on her in wonder. He wiped the blood from his lip. It had been sometime since anyone had managed to spill it.
“Well,” Rune said, low and riveted.
But Alora’s breath came too fast, shallow and sharp. Her chest heaved as panic clawed through her, eyes wild and unfocused. “What… what is this?” she gasped. “What’s happening to me?”
The silver light still burned beneath her skin, flickering like trapped lightning. The air hissed, rising the hair on the back of his neck. A warning of another imminent blast.
She was losing control.
Rune crossed the distance between them and took Alora’s face in his hands. “Breathe for me,ra’ayati,” he murmured. “Breathe…”
She did once.
Twice.
Then he kissed her.
Alora went still, her lips trembling against his. Her hands fell on his chest like brands of fire, but he bore the pain. Her magic flared wildly, sunlight bursting around them in radiant arcs, weaving through shadow. His skin blistered beneath her touch, the burn sinking deep, searing through bone and godhood alike.
Rune drank in the agony as if it were life itself. Her power flooded his senses, scorching him from the inside out until every vein sang with her light.
Slowly, the storm of her power broke. The brightness dimmed, the trembling eased. Her magic softened under histouch, folding back into her as if soothed by the darkness that should have feared it.
When she finally went limp against him, spent and silent, Rune held her close, awed by the light he found after an era without dawn. Such power she held. Unlike anything he had ever witnessed before.
Pulling back, he looked into Alora’s eyes. They flickered like lightning caught in amber. The remnants of her power danced beneath her lashes, light fracturing in delicate bursts before fading again. The blast of magic had drained her, leaving her pulse fragile and faint beneath his fingers.
“Sleep,” Rune said, his voice a low incantation, equal parts tenderness and command.
Her body softened instantly, her lashes lowering as the light dimmed from her gaze. She fell backward into his waiting shadows, rising to catch her. She floated beside him, hair drifting around her face like strands of gold on a phantom wind.
From the tunnel’s mouth, the Vareth watched him, yellow eyes unreadable. Above, Calla and the others emerged from where they had shielded themselves from Alora’s radiance, their expressions stricken.
“Are you hurt, sire?” Hadeon’s voice was low, wary.
Rune’s gaze lingered on the faint scorch marks where her power had touched his skin. “I will live,” he said evenly.
He gathered Alora in his arms and summed a portal. The air tore open, swallowing them into shadow.
When they stepped into her chambers, the mountain thrummed around them. Rune laid her upon the bed, brushing a loose curl from her damp brow. For a moment, he stared at her, at the faint glimmering of light that still pulsed beneath her skin.
Nexus leaped up onto the bed, curling beside her with a soft purr.
Rune straightened, looking up at the ceiling. “She stays here. Do not let her out. Do not let anyone in.”
