The floor split open beneath their feet.
Stone cracked like brittle bone.
Columns groaned.
Metal chains snapped and whipped through the collapsing air.
Kanah's scream tore through the chaos.
"OWAIN—!!"
Owain grabbed her instantly, arms locking around her waist as the ground gave way.
He braced one clawed hand against the tilting floor, holding her with the other.
"I've got you—DON'T LET GO!"
She didn't.
She couldn't.
Her fingers dug into his shoulders with desperate instinct.
Above them, the ceiling split open—
letting in a rush of cold night air and moonlight.
Yllas thrust his wings wide, blue fire bursting from his throat as he stabilized himself midair, catching Ilai with a sweep of his tail.
"Helion—Gerrin—hold on!"
Helion's claws extended, hooking onto a jagged edge of stone as he pulled Gerrin up beside him.
Kanah's father stood completely unaffected.
He hadn't moved.
Not even a shift of balance.
He watched them with clinical curiosity while the fortress twisted and groaned around him.
"Your bond fractures under pressure," he murmured. "Interesting."
Owain snarled over his shoulder.
"SHUT—UP—!!"
He hoisted Kanah higher against him as the ledge beneath his feet crumbled.
Her pulse hammered.
"Owain—Owa—OWAIN—!!"
He lifted her chin, growling through bared teeth.
"Look at me, Kana. Not the fall. Me."
She forced her eyes onto his.
Breath stayed stuck in her throat.
He was bleeding again.
His ribs were bruised.
His claws fractured.
But he looked at her like she was the only thing left in the world.
"I won't drop you," he rasped.
She believed him.
Even as the stone buckled again.
DRAGONFIRE AND RESONANCE
Yllas dove down, flames circling his body, wings beating hard against the collapsing air.
"Owain—throw her! I'll catch—"
Owain's immediate roar shook the debris.
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"
Yllas hissed in frustration, hovering lower.
"Owain, the floor is GIVING WAY!"
Owain dug his claws deeper into the stone.
"She stays with ME!"
Kanah grabbed his face, breath shaking.
"Owain—listen—listen to me—Yllas can get me to safety—"
He shook his head instantly.
"No. No. You're not leaving my arms. I can't—KANA, I can't—"
Owain's voice cracked.
Not from pain.
From fear.
Kanah cupped his cheek, grounding him.
"Then don't throw me," she whispered. "Just let him stabilize us."
Owain hesitated—
And Yllas acted.
Blue fire burst downward, creating a platform of heat and mana under Owain's feet.
Owain snarled, ready to attack, until he realized—
The fire wasn't burning him.
It was holding him.
Yllas roared, "MOVE!"
The fire-flare lifted both Owain and Kanah upward a few feet—
just enough to escape the collapsing ledge.
Owain blinked in shock.
"What kind of fire—?"
Yllas smirked tightly.
"Dragon resonance. I can burn everything—
or burn nothing."
Kanah exhaled shakily.
"Owain— let him help."
Owain growled but nodded once.
"Fine. But she stays in my arms."
Yllas's eyes softened.
"Of course she does."
THE GUARDIAN CHARGES
The guardian beast snarled as the floor dropped out underneath it.
It leapt—effortless despite its size—landing near them as boulders crashed down around it.
Its molten eyes shot to Kanah, then Owain, making sure they still lived.
Kanah felt a tug in her instincts.
A pulse of something ancient.
Something approving.
Helion shouted from across the tilting chamber:
"MOVE, YOU TWO—THE WHOLE SPINE IS COMING DOWN!"
Gerrin raised both arms, silver magic flowing outward to support the ceiling.
His voice strained.
"I can hold this—
but not long!"
Her father's voice floated calmly through the chaos.
"Let it fall."
Owain snarled, "YOU FIRST."
Ilai yelled, "We need an EXIT!"
Yllas nodded.
"Then we MAKE one."
He unleashed a blast of fire at the weakened eastern wall.
The stone exploded outward—
opening a ragged path to the shattered sky.
Cold wind rushed in.
Freedom.
Escape.
Life.
Owain adjusted Kanah in his arms.
"Hold on. We run."
But Kanah gasped suddenly, clutching his shirt.
"Owain—wait—"
Her Devourer eye flickered.
Her blood pulsed painfully in her veins.
Her hunger surged—not wild, not devouring, but warning.
Something was coming.
From above.
Through the dust and falling stone.
Kanah's father smiled faintly.
"Ah. He arrives."
Owain turned sharply.
"WHO—"
The ceiling exploded.
Not crumbled—
exploded.
A massive stone slab crashed down, tearing the chamber apart.
Gerrin shouted in pain as the mana shield buckled.
Helion grabbed him, dragging him back.
Yllas flew up, shielding Ilai.
Owain held Kanah tight, bracing—
And through the dust—
A tall silhouette stepped into view.
Not a beast.
Not a Hollow.
Not a guardian.
A man.
A Devourer.
Kanah's father exhaled in amusement.
"Your brother, Kanah."
Kanah's entire body went cold.
"Owain," she whispered, voice breaking.
"That's… that's not possible. I don't— I don't have—"
Owain bared his teeth.
"I DON'T CARE WHO HE IS."
The newcomer tilted his head slowly—
eyes black-gold, identical to her father's.
"Kanara."
Her breath caught.
"No—"
Owain growled:
"She's KANAH."
The Devourer brother smiled faintly.
"We'll see."
Her father lifted a hand.
"Children."
Kanah's blood iced.
"Children…?"
Owain's claws extended.
"NO. Absolutely NOT."
Kanah pressed her forehead into Owain's chest, trembling.
"I don't know him…"
Owain whispered fiercely:
"And you don't have to."
Yllas's fire lit behind them.
Helion's growl sharpened.
Gerrin's mana wrapped around Kanah in a soft shield.
The guardian stepped protectively between Kanah and the Devourers.
Her father finally sighed.
"Well. This is becoming crowded."
The fortress groaned again—
huge chunks of stone giving way.
The whole structure teetered.
Ilai screamed, "THE SOUTH TOWER IS FALLING!"
Owain picked up Kanah bridal-style.
"We're leaving."
Kanah clutched his shirt.
"Owain—
my brother—
is he—"
Owain didn't let her finish.
His voice softened dangerously.
"Kana. You choose your family.
Not them."
She buried her face against his neck—
And Owain ran.
Ran with the dragon, the elf, the leopard, the guardian.
Ran through fire and falling stone.
Ran toward the broken wall.
Ran toward the night.
Ran toward freedom.
Behind them—
Her father and brother watched.
Unmoving.
Unworried.
Her father murmured:
"Let her run."
Her brother responded,
"She'll return."
"No," her father said softly, eyes narrowing.
"She will be brought back."
The fortress collapsed behind them—
but Kanah, held against Owain's chest, did not look back.