The passage narrowed until Lucien had to turn sideways to keep from scraping Elara against the rough stone walls. Every few steps, her body jolted with a faint tremor—small, but terrifying.
Her light flickered beneath her skin.
Too dim.
Too weak.
"Lucien…" she whispered, barely audible. "I can't… breathe…"
"I've got you," he murmured, pulling her closer to his chest. His voice was steady, but the terror pulsing through the bond betrayed him. "Stay with me, Elara. Just a little longer."
Elias rushed ahead, torch held high, illuminating the uneven stone steps. "The exit is close. Just one final chamber."
Lucien's jaw tightened. "It better be. Her power's draining too quickly."
"I know." Elias cast a worried look over his shoulder. "That burst she released… mortals weren't meant to channel that much ancient magic. Even you shouldn't have felt that impact."
Lucien didn't respond.
He couldn't.
Because the truth Elias didn't know was simple—
Lucien felt every second of her collapse as if his own heart were dying.
Her breath rattled faintly. Her fingers curled weakly against his chest.
"Lucien…"
His name was a fragile thread on her lips.
"I'm here," he whispered immediately. "I won't let anything take you."
She swallowed painfully. "Your eyes… they're dimmer than before…"
He blinked, startled. "Elara, don't– don't worry about me right now."
But she was right.
He could feel it too.
Her weakened light was weakening him.
The bond wasn't just emotional—it was physical. Their lives were connected more deeply than either of them understood.
If she faded…
Lucien closed his eyes, refusing to complete the thought.
"We're almost out," Elias insisted. "The Devourer cannot follow us past the old seal. Just hold on."
But the tunnel trembled again—low, deep, like the murmur of something ancient shifting in its sleep.
Lucien snarled. "It's waking further."
Elias shivered. "It felt her light… and wants more."
Lucien clutched Elara protectively. "It won't touch her."
"Lucien," she murmured faintly, "I can feel its voice. In my bones."
His heart broke at the sound of her fear.
She was fading so fast.
"Elara," he said softly, pressing his forehead against hers, "don't let the darkness take root. Stay in the bond with me."
She tried to smile, but her lips barely moved. "The bond… it hurts. Everything hurts."
He stiffened, devastation ripping through him. "Elara—please. Don't leave me."
Elias threw open a crumbling stone door at the end of the corridor.
"Here! This is the exit chamber!"
Lucien carried her inside.
The room was wide, circular, with runes carved along the walls. A faint glow radiated from the ceiling—a natural light source shining through cracks in the stone roof.
Elara stirred weakly. "It's… brighter here…"
"Yes," Elias said, hope flooding his voice. "The light is weakening the Devourer's influence."
But then—
A new presence pulsed in the chamber.
Someone was already waiting.
A tall figure stood at the far end near the sealed exit—hooded, cloaked in silver and black. The air around them shimmered, neither warm nor cold, but something between.
Elias stopped dead.
"No… not him."
Lucien shifted, placing himself between the figure and Elara.
"Who are you?" he snarled.
The figure lifted their head slowly.
A soft, melodic voice—calm, haunting—filled the chamber.
"I walk between realms. I walk between light and ruin. I am neither your enemy… nor your salvation."
The hood fell back.
Elara gasped weakly.
He was beautiful in a cold, ethereal way—silver hair cascading like moonwater, eyes glowing faintly with fractured light.
Lucien's breath hitched in recognition.
"No," he whispered. "It can't be you."
Elara blinked weakly. "Lucien… who is he?"
Lucien's jaw clenched. "He's a Ghostborn."
Elias sucked in a breath. "Impossible. They were wiped out centuries ago."
Lucien shook his head, voice full of dread.
"No. One survived."
The Ghostborn stepped forward, gaze landing on Elara with unsettling intensity.
"You carry the Awakener's mark," he murmured. "And his blood."
Elara's stomach dropped. "His…?"
Lucien growled. "Stay away from her."
The Ghostborn lifted a hand. "If I meant harm, she would be dead already."
Lucien moved half a step, shielding Elara more fully.
"I don't care what you meant. Don't come closer."
The Ghostborn studied him, amused. "Protective, aren't you? Much like your father."
Lucien froze.
Elara wasn't sure she heard correctly.
Elias stared between them, stunned.
"…Lucien?" she whispered.
But Lucien didn't answer.
Color drained from his face. Shadows curled around his ankles in a violent, confused spiral.
Lucien hissed, "Don't speak of him."
The Ghostborn ignored the warning. "Your father broke the realms with his hunger. You are his legacy. And now—"
His eyes slid to Elara, glowing brighter.
"—the Awakener is the key to breaking the last seal he left behind."
Elara's pulse weakened.
Her strength flickered.
"…I don't… understand…"
Lucien caught her chin gently, forcing her to look at him.
"Elara, stay awake. Please. Don't fade."
The Ghostborn spoke again.
"You are dying."
Lucien snapped, "YOU WILL NOT SPEAK THAT OVER HER!"
"She released too much of the primordial light," the Ghostborn said calmly. "Her body is mortal. It cannot contain the Awakener's full power without… consequence."
Elara's heart stuttered painfully.
Lucien felt it through the bond.
"No—no, no," he whispered, panic gripping him. "Elara—stay with me—"
The Ghostborn stepped closer.
"I can help her."
Lucien bared his fangs. "You're lying."
"Am I?"
The Ghostborn motioned to the faint glow under Elara's skin.
"She has hours before the light devours her from within."
Elara's breath hitched in agony.
Lucien's hands shook violently.
"Tell me how to save her," he growled through clenched teeth.
Elias stepped between them. "Lucien, you can't trust him—"
"I don't have a choice!" Lucien snapped. "I'm not letting her die because of me!"
Elara reached for him weakly, her fingers feather-light on his cheek.
"Lucien…"
Her voice cracked.
"It's not your fault…"
He caught her hand, pressing it against his heart.
"It is. Everything is. You are suffering because of the bond—because of me."
Her eyes fluttered shut.
He shook her gently. "Elara—please."
The Ghostborn spoke again.
"There is one way to stabilize her. But it will bind your destinies even deeper."
Lucien froze. "What way?"
The Ghostborn tilted his head.
"A Shadow Kiss."
Elias gasped. "No. Absolutely not."
Lucien stared at the Ghostborn, horror and hope battling in his eyes.
"That ritual is forbidden."
"It is the only thing that can keep her alive," the Ghostborn said softly.
Elara's consciousness flickered.
Lucien clutched her to him, tears gathering in his eyes.
"Elara… I can't lose you…"
Her lips parted with one fragile breath.
"…then… don't…"
And she went limp.
Lucien let out a sound unlike anything she had heard from him—raw, broken, animal.
He pressed his forehead to hers.
The Ghostborn spoke quietly.
"Choose, Lucien of the Fallen Bloodline—
Let her die…
or bind her life to yours forever."