I glance back to see him standing, his face pale and bloodied, but his magic blazing brighter than I’ve ever seen. With a surge of determination, he steps forward, his energy intertwining with mine as he throws his weight into the fight.
Together, we push Galen back, our combined magic forming a barrier of light against his oppressive darkness. But it’s still not enough. Galen’s power is more than just his, a potent blend of what’s stolen from Malric and the ancient power he himself possesses. It’s incensed and unyielding, and for every step we take forward, he forces us back two.
There’s a flash of light and a roar from the depth of hell, and then Kade moves, his body a weapon as he throws himself at Galen. Pure rage cuts through the carnage and his power is a blistering force that crashes into Galen like a thunderstorm, his movements fluid and lethal, his magic sparking with every strike.
His fist connects with Galen’s jaw in a brutal blow that rings through the chamber like the crack of thunder. Galen stumbles, momentarily dazed, but Kade doesn’t give him the chance to recover. His magic flares out with every strike, twisting Galen’s body as Kade shreds him with each blow. Blood pours, flesh tears, and Galen’s screams echo through the stone walls as Kade’s fury blinds him to everything else.
It’s a violent, savage, brutal battle.
And Kade is relentless.
With a final roar, Kade slams Galen’s head into the stone floor, cracking the ground beneath them. His magic pulses, ripping the warlock apart, shattering every bone in his body with a sickening crack.
And with a guttural scream, Kade drives his fist through Galen’s chest, tearing through the heart of the monster who dared to take everything from us. His hand plunges into flesh and bone, tearing through muscle as if it were paper. Blood sprays in a grotesque arc, splattering across the walls and floor, as Kade’s fingers close around Galen’s still-beating heart.
With a final, brutal yank, he rips it free, the wet, ragged sound of tearing flesh echoing in the silence that follows. Galen’s body spasms once, twice, before going still, his lifeless eyes staring up in hollow disbelief.
Kade hurls the heart to the ground with disgust, the organ landing with a sickening splat at Darius’s feet.
When it’s over, Kade collapses to his knees, his body heaving with exhaustion. The silence that follows is deafening, broken only by the ragged sound of his breathing.
I reach for him, my trembling hands brushing against his blood-streaked face.
“You’re alive,” I whisper, tears streaming down my cheeks.
He blinks slowly, his dark eyes meeting mine, and nods.
My lower lip trembles as I hold back tears.
“Because of you,” he murmurs.
And for a moment, just one moment, the world holds still. Angels weep, their tears carving paths through eternity, while immortals pause in solemn awe, bearing witness to a fate rewritten by mortal hands. The stars above us halt their eternal dance, the heavens bending under the gravity of what we’ve done. Even the earth itself seems to hesitate, its axis trembling as it bows to the enormity of this moment.
Time waits and watches, as we stand on the precipice of our hard-won future, the weight of our choices now ours to bear.
Ours to relish and accept.
Ours to suffer and celebrate.
But they are ours, and ours alone, and Kade and I are together and we are one.
