The world snapped back into color.
One heartbeat we were drowning in the rift's crushing darkness—
the next, the forest floor rushed beneath our feet, the scent of real air slamming into my lungs.
We were out.
A deafening silence replaced the howling void we'd been fighting in.
And then my knees gave out.
All the power I'd poured, every drop of holy-water synergy, every beam of light that had carved through the monsters—
it all came crashing down on me like a tidal wave. My vision blurred, my bones felt hollow, and the edges of the world dimmed.
I swayed.
The ground tilted.
And before I could hit it, strong arms wrapped around me.
"Leanna—!"
Hugo's voice cracked with alarm as he pulled me tight against his chest, one arm around my back, the other steadying my waist. His body was scorching warm, his breath harsh from battle, but he held me like I weighed nothing.
My head sagged onto his shoulder.
"I'm… fine…" I whispered, though it was painfully clear I wasn't.
