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Static as I watched fear bleed into Landers’s irises at the sight of me screaming.

Static as he turned to see the tendrils racing toward him.

For one breath, the world stilled, in the next, my scream shattered through the silence as Wren stepped into the line of magic, taking the hit never meant for him, protecting Landers from the death it would bring.

A sickening crack split the air, and for a moment, everything was silent—just the two of us, frozen in time. His body arched violently, a glow pulsing from within as the magic burned through him, sinking into his bones. His mouth parted in a silentgasp, eyes blown wide with pain and shock as he crumbled to the ground.

I tethered to his side before I could breath, my knees slamming into the bloodstained marble as a wave of magic washed over the room, drenching it in the pain that seeped from my pores. Every creature turned to ash as my power flared uncontrollably.

Unholy magic seared through his flesh, dark veins spreading like cracks in shattered glass. His mouth opened as a choking gasp wrenched free. His fingers twitched, curling as if reaching for something—reaching for me.

I scrambled the last few feet toward him, my hands shaking as I pressed them against his chest, as if I could hold him together, as if I could keep him from slipping away. But the moment my fingers touched his skin, I felt the unnatural heat beneath it. His body was burning from the inside out, his life force unraveling, dissipating in front of my eyes.

My magic sparked at my fingertips, frantic and unfocused. I tried to heal him, but the wound was too deep, the magic too corrosive. It had sunk into him like poison, eating him alive.

“No, no, no, no,” I sobbed, my vision blurring as tears poured from my eyes. “Wren, stay with me. You have to stay with me.”

Blood seeped from his mouth, dark against his pale lips. His eyes, those beautiful, midnight blue eyes that had always been so full of fire, now looked at me with something else—something far worse.

Acceptance.

His hand lifted, trembling, brushing against my cheek, smearing warm blood across my skin. “I—” His voice was barely a whisper, the sound so weak it felt like a knife to my gut. “I had to.”

A broken sob wracked my body, my nails digging into his flesh as I pulled him against my chest. “No, Wren!” My screamswere frantic, my soul shattering with every word. “We need you! Pri needs you! I can’t—” My voice cracked, splintering into something unrecognizable. “Please!”

He tried to lift his head, but the strength had already left him. I grabbed it, clutching his face between my fingers, desperate to hold on, desperate to keep him tethered to this world. His body was trembling, his breath coming in shallow gasps.

“It’s not . . . her.” He swallowed, a pained grimace crossing his face as another wave of agony stole the air from his lungs. “Stop . . . her.”

I choked on a sob. “Who? Wren, who?”

But he didn’t answer.

His gaze flickered, his body stiffening beneath me as a sharp exhale left his lips.

Then nothing.

His eyes stared up at me, open and empty.

His body—still, lifeless.

A sound ripped from my chest, something primal, something that didn’t belong to this world. I shook him, my hands pressing against his face, against his shoulders, as if I could force his soul back into his body.

My heart shattered, the sharp and unforgiving pieces slicing into my soul with every beat. I rocked him against me, pressing my forehead to his, begging the gods, the universe, anyone who would listen to bring him back.

But there was no answer.

No miracle.

The world fell away, every sound muted, every sensation dulled except for the searing, all-consuming agony that ripped through my chest. It was as if my heart had been torn from my body, shredded into ribbons, and left bleeding on the cold, unforgiving ground.

He was gone.

He. Was. Gone.

This couldn’t be happening. Not again. Not Wren.

Tears fell like scalding rain against his too-pale face, trailing through the crimson grime.