The once-grand altar, carved with ancient sigils, was now fractured beyond repair, and smoke curled upward in ghostly tendrils.
Kael knelt in the center, both hands pressed to the cracked ground.
The red crystal shard embedded near his chest glowed weakly, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
It had nearly consumed him—again.
He looked around.
Cecelia was crouched beside Edwin, healing a nasty cut on his arm.
Jin sat slumped against a collapsed pillar, sweat dripping down his forehead.
His twin swords, once gleaming, were dulled and nicked from the fierce battle.
And Elysia…
She stood only a few paces away, her sword buried in the earth for balance.
Everyone was exhausted. The fight with the Five demons had taken everything from them, mana, blood, and perhaps even trust.
"Edwin," Cecelia said, her hands glowing a faint blue as she finished healing his wound.
"You'll be fine now, but try not to swing your sword for a while."
