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It will break him, and I won’t let it happen.

So I move. Fast.

Silent.

Like a ghost slipping into the dark.

My body is weak.

My vision flickers.

Every step feels like it takes more from me than it should.

The relic has already started its work.

It’s in my blood, in my bones, in the marrow of my soul.

It’s unraveling me, piece by piece, consuming the last of what I have to give.

And he will fight for me. He’s a man that keeps his promise.

He still thinks he can save me.

But it’s not without consequence. Not without destroying himself in the process.

And I can’t let him do that.

The wind is cold as I step onto the balcony, the city stretching out beneath me.

I hear the battle raging in the distance.

I can hear the sounds of metal meeting flesh, of bodies hitting the ground, of the world resembling an inferno around us.

This war is almost over.

But not for me.

I am not letting Zephiran be the one to end this. If I stay, he will make the wrong choice.

He will choose me.

Over himself.

Over his revenge.

Over the war he’s been fighting his entire life.

I can’t let him do that.

Not for me. Not when I’m already lost.

So I take a step forward.

Suddenly, the shadows move.

A cold voice curls through the night, interrupting me.

Low. Smooth. Too fucking familiar.