Sera's Pov
Lucian clutched his chest like he'd been stabbed, doubling over beside me with a groan that sounded too raw, too pained to be anything ordinary. I caught him before he collapsed fully, both of us sinking to our knees as he gasped for air, his fingers tightening reflexively around my forearm.
My heart lurched — not just from the fear, but from the eerie synchronicity of what was happening around us.
Across the battlefield, the other Lucian and Velka had crumpled to the ground at the exact same time, like two puppets cut loose from the same strings. The timing wasn't coincidence. I knew it instinctively — knew it in that strange, ancient way magic often whispered before it screamed. Something had happened. Something huge. And I had no idea what to do.
"Lucian," I whispered, holding onto him as his body trembled. "Where does it hurt? Tell me."
