Nathel collapses to his knees.
Not from injury.
Not from exhaustion.
But from awakening.
A glow pulses from his chest—soft at first, like the flicker of a candle behind ribs. Then it grows, brightening, sharpening, as though something ancient is clawing its way to the surface.
May reaches for him—
"Nathel—!"
—but he flinches back, gasping through clenched teeth.
"Don't—touch—me—!"
His voice is strangled, pained.
Silver light bursts from his palms uncontrollably, scattering in broken flashes across the room. The entire house vibrates with the force of it.
May stumbles backward, eyes wide.
"What's happening to him?!"
The villain watches Nathel with cold, delighted hunger.
"Your precious Nathel is finally remembering," he murmurs.
"Or rather… the bond inside him is."
Nathel screams—
Not loud.
Not long.
Just one raw, guttural sound that seems ripped straight from the soul.
May's heart nearly stops.
She rushes forward anyway.
"I don't care what you say—he needs me!"
The villain raises a hand lazily, sending a thin wall of shadow slicing between her and Nathel.
"You go to him now, and you'll die," he says simply.
May skids to a halt.
Her breath comes shaky. Her fingers twitch with rising panic.
"No… no, no, Nathel—look at me! Focus on me!"
Nathel's head jerks up.
His eyes—
they're not their usual deep brown.
They're silver, flooded with light, glowing like twin stars burning too hot.
"May…" he chokes out.
"Run."
The villain laughs softly.
"Still trying to save her. Even while breaking."
The glow in Nathel's chest cracks outward like lightning under skin. Energy surges through him violently, bending his back, forcing him to clutch the floor as if gravity is trying to rip him apart.
May shakes her head fiercely.
"I'm not leaving him."
The villain snaps his fingers.
A column of shadow erupts beneath Nathel, lifting him into the air by invisible chains. His body arches in agony, light leaking from every pore.
May screams.
"STOP IT—LET HIM GO!"
"Oh, I will," the villain says calmly.
"As soon as I take what's mine."
He lifts his hand slowly, and Nathel rises higher, suspended in a cage of darkness.
The glow in Nathel's chest pulses faster—
harder—
like a second heart awakening.
May reaches toward him again, voice trembling.
"Nathel, listen to me. Fight it. Please—fight it!"
But he can barely hear her.
Through the pain, through the cracking energy, he manages one broken whisper:
"May… the core… it's waking… it hurts…"
Tears blur her vision.
"I'm right here," she says.
"You're not alone—don't let him take it."
The villain steps closer, hand outstretched toward Nathel's chest.
"What slumbers inside him belongs to me," he says.
"You were always meant to be separated. Always. That bond was a mistake."
May's voice sharpens like a blade.
"So were you."
The villain shoots her a warning glare.
But he doesn't stop.
His fingers pierce through the shadow cage, reaching for the light erupting from Nathel's chest.
Nathel convulses, gasping.
"No—don't—"
May's power explodes once more, silver veins snaking through her arms as she rushes forward, slamming her palms against the shadow barrier.
It burns her skin instantly.
But she doesn't move.
She pushes harder, screaming against the pain.
"LEAVE—HIM—ALONE!"
The villain hisses as her light scorches the darkness around Nathel.
"You're stronger than before," he admits.
"But not strong enough."
He plunges his hand toward Nathel's chest—
And Nathel's eyes fly open, blazing with white-hot light.
"No—!" May chokes.
The villain touches the surface of the glowing core—
And the world detonates.
A shockwave of mixed shadow and silver erupts outward, throwing May back against the wall and shattering half the house.
The villain is hurled across the room, slamming into the far side with a snarl.
The shadow cage collapses.
Nathel falls.
May scrambles forward, crawling through dust and smoke.
"Nathel—Nathel!"
He lies on his side, trembling violently, breath shallow, eyes dimming.
May reaches him, cradles his face with shaking hands.
"Nathel—stay with me. Please."
His voice is barely audible.
"May… I remembered…"
She freezes.
"What?"
He swallows painfully.
"You… and me… before this life… before everything…"
She leans closer, tears falling onto his cheek.
"What did you remember?"
He looks into her eyes—soft, broken, full of centuries.
"In another life…"
A weak, shaky smile touches his lips.
"…you died protecting me."
May's breath shatters.
Before she can speak, the villain rises from the debris, fury twisting his shadowed features.
"No more delays," he snarls.
"I'm taking the core.
With or without his body."
Nathel weakly tries to shield May with his arm.
"No… don't touch her…"
The villain raises both hands, darkness swirling violently around him.
May turns slowly, eyes burning with silver fire—
And something inside her finally snaps.
Not fear.
Not shock.
Not desperation.
Resolve.
She stands, light gathering around her like armor.
"You won't touch him," she says, voice deadly calm.
The villain laughs.
"And how will you stop me—?"
May lifts her hand.
The light inside her ignites—
—brighter than ever.
"I remember too."
The villain's smile fades.
May steps forward, power thundering through her veins.
"Everything."