Not just in passing. Not with the fragile, fleeting affection that crumbles under the weight of time. Mine had been a love so deep, so absolute, it had stitched itself into the very fabric of my soul. A love so pure it had felt eternal. Unbreakable. I had been a part of something bigger than myself.
But love does not make you untouchable.
In a single moment, it was all ripped from me.
I could still hear their screams. The sounds clung to me. I had stood there, helpless, as fate made its cruel choice. And when the moment came, I did nothing.
I let others suffer in my place.
It should have been me.
The thought rose, vicious and unshakable, carving itself into my mind.
It should have been me.
My breath hitched, and only then did I realize I was weeping. Silent, bitter tears that burned hotter than the fire before me. My shoulders trembled, my hands clenched into fists.
Why? Why was I still here when they were not?
What right did I have to keep breathing when I had failed them?
I didn’t deserve survival.
And yet the fire still raged. The earth still stood beneath me. My heart, broken and hollow, still beat.
The weight of it was unbearable.
It pressed down on me, suffocating, relentless. I couldn’t carry it any longer.
Without hesitation, I stepped forward, my breath ragged, my vision blurred with grief. The cauldron loomed before me, its iron surface glowing with unbearable heat, glowing like the heart of a dragon pearl.
I pressed my forearms against it.
Agony ripped through me.
A scream tore from my throat, raw and unbidden, as fire branded itself into my flesh. Every nerve in my body shrieked in protest. My instincts screamed to pull away—to stop—to let go.
I didn’t.
Because this excruciating, blistering pain was better than the hollow, endless anguish inside me.
The fire seared deeper, but something else stirred. I felt a warmth in my jade bracelet. It started to glow, as if it were protecting me.
You are still loved, Rubi.Flame’s steady voice.You have the right to live.
I wasn’t sure if I’d imagined it or if it was real, her in my head, answering my pain and devastation through the Bond between us. My chest heaved, the scent of burning flesh thick in the air. The pain should have consumed me. It should have broken me.
And yet I held on.
33
The vision disappeared, and I stood in the sand pit of the Arena, my breath shallow.
The roar of the crowd crashed over me, a tidal wave of voices vibrating through my bones. Hundreds, there were hundreds of spectators, and they were all screaming for us. Above, the sky was a blinding expanse of blue, empty except for the midday sun.
Pain seared through my forearms. I glanced down, expecting a mess of flesh, but the skin was unbroken.
Except for the brand. Twin circles joined together, as though two bracelets had been placed next to each other. Dark and sharp-edged, the ink-black lines stood in stark contrast against my flesh, the edges still red and raw.
