The air outside was cold and still when they stepped through the light. Lea squinted against the sudden brightness, feeling her boots sink into soft grass instead of the rough stone floor they had grown used to. The sound of wind replaced the echoes of battle — gentle, almost cleansing. Hugo exhaled deeply beside her, his lime-scented pheromone faint in the fresh mountain breeze.
But something felt… different. The air felt heavy, yet empty. When Lea raised her hand, expecting to see a trace of the glowing blue energy that had answered her call inside the cave, there was nothing. No shimmer, no sound. Just her hand — trembling slightly.
"My power… it's gone," she whispered, disbelief in her voice.
Hugo looked down at his own hands, where fiery sparks had once burned bright. "Mine too," he murmured. "It's like it never existed."
