Third Person's POV
Aether stood comfortably on the strange tree—one of the clarion energy producers that flourished in this broken, forgotten land.
He looked down, watching his Thalia as she struggled against the monstrous bull.
His expression remained cold as ice, a mask hiding storms of conflict beneath. He knew exactly what he was doing… Sure, she loved him... anyone could see that devotion, but there was something in her eyes, a spark that had disappeared after a certain point.
Something in her soul felt missing.
The reason he hadn't given himself to her fully, right from the beginning.... He was worried... No! haunted by the Ebon Stone.
He had no idea what consequences might unfold if he slept with her, with Raven tangled up in the stone's fate.
And the truth was, the only living phoenix in the world was Thalia. If he crossed a line with her, who knew what sort of horror he might unleash?
The Stone was always hungry for his suffering, right?
