"He damn near burned his own soul to ash."
Orion reached behind his back and hauled Kaelen forward, dangling him by the scruff of his neck like a misbehaving puppy.
The consequences of the [Divine Art: Blood Sacrifice] were severe. Kaelen had been drained of so much vitality that he had physically regressed. He was no longer a young man; he was a toddler, barely three years old. And because his control over his bloodline was shattered, he was stuck in his combat form—four tiny heads bobbing, eight chubby arms flailing helplessly.
He looked even less capable than Kronos or Pallas had in their infancy. He looked like a monster's discarded doll.
"My baby... my baby!"
Sophia snatched Kaelen from Orion's grip, clutching the toddler to her chest. Her composure, the steel of a matriarch, finally broke. She wept openly, burying her face in Kaelen's hair.
"I promise... I promise I'll never let you do anything so dangerous again. Oh, Kaelen..."
