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After the third time he talked to himself, I realized what was going on.
He was talking to Cyrene. Or she was talking to him. Whatever it was, it was all wrong, and it was clear he wasn’t in control. He tried to fight her. I didn’t only see his struggle, I also sensed how hard he fought against the darkness.
He still had light in him. He still had that spark. I’d felt it when our bond had been forged; I’d seen it every time we’d interacted. Erol still had what it took to face Cyrene, to take her on rather than to sit back and admit defeat.
That kind of power, that kind of strength of will, deserved to be saved. Erol wasn’t a bad man, he was good, and he deserved to live. He would give it all up for me, and Cyrene wouldn’t hesitate to kill him.
After that, I didn’t doubt that she would kill me, too.
I wouldn’t let her do that to either of us.
Erol was stuck in a battle inside himself, and they’d both seemingly forgotten about me.
Instead of running away while I had the chance, I ran toward Erol. I held out my hands and summoned my power. By the time I reached him, I shoved all the power I had into him. Healing power, light… Anything I could muster. Whatever I had to give, I would give all of it until there was nothing left for me to pour into him.
The moment the light touched him, it yanked me along with it, and suddenly, I stood in some kind of dreamscape. The dungeon, the dining hall, the kitchen…
It was all gone. We stood in a strange void, with darkness covering everything so that I could only see Erol. He was standing in front of me with his head tilted down and his gaze pale and ghostly.
I only let the strangeness of the situation jar me for a moment. I was here to help.
I lifted my hands, balled into fists, and slammed them down on Erol’s chest. I screamed as I did, shoving as much power into him as I possibly could.
The moment I touched him, I could see the hold Cyrene had on him. I heard her voice, felt her power.
She had her claws in Erol, and the metaphysical image was terrifying. Her hands were buried in his chest, one hand wrapped around his heart, long black nails digging into the red flesh.
“Take it!” I cried out. “Erol, take what I’m giving you!”
He heard me. When he became aware of me, I felt the wall between us crumble, and his emotions flooded through our bond. He was terrified, he was furious, and now that I was here, he was relieved. He was still in awe that I’d come back for him. Underneath it all lay an incredible love for me. He still cared. He’d always cared.
“I’m here,” I said. “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll do this together.”
Erol gasped, and his eyes became bright.
“I thought I wouldn’t ever see you again,” he said, and this time, I heard his voice, and I knew the words he spoke were his own. “You shouldn’t have come back for me.”
“You should never have left,” I said.
“I didn’t know what to do.”
“I do,” I said, and I pumped more of my power into him.
Cyrene had his hands around his heart, but she didn’t take into consideration that Ihadhis heart, and he had mine.
The power filled Erol, pushing the darkness away. I watched as he slowly filled with light. It started at his feet and filled him like he was a cup.
When the light reached his heart, he would be free of her. She wouldn’t be able to fight it. We were stronger together, and our bond allowed me to give him something she couldn’t force on him. She didn’t have any kind of bond with him, their relationship was non-existent. The only emotion he felt for her was pure hatred. Love trumped hatred, every time.
The light filled Erol up more and more. I looked into his eyes, and he looked right back at me. Affection passed between us, more than could be put to words.
The light was so close, he only needed a little more.
Before I could pour more into him, Cyrene manifested herself into a physical form, and she jumped between us.
She broke the contact between me and Erol, and I fell backward, my hands breaking away from his chest.
We were back in the real world, the dining hall all around us, old and dark and dusty.
