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We’re stillon Mount Etna, but not the Mount Etna I was looking at seconds ago.

The tourist viewpoints have vanished, replaced by ancient stone structures. The vegetation has changed, becoming more vibrant, yet more primal. The sky above us has shifted from clear blue to a strange amber hue.

“We made it,” I breathe, my various magics swirling together in response to the power surrounding us.

“Stay close,” Maeris warns. “From here on, we follow the path of fire.”

I scan the transformed landscape, noticing a trail of onyx stones leading upward. They pulse with an inner heat, like a heartbeat beneath the mountain’s skin. Steady, ancient, and alive.

As we follow the winding path upward, the air grows thicker and hotter. My ice magic feels dampened by theoverwhelming heat, my water feels like it’s boiling, and my air magic stirs restlessly, as if sensing a coming storm.

As for my Star Disc, it’s the biggest thing holding me steady right now.

Maeris and Thalia seem like they’re doing okay—probably something to do with their centuries of training, which is why Lysandra sent them with us.

Riven’s hanging in there, although there are a few beads of sweat on his brow.

His skin is paler than usual, his jaw locked tight, his shoulders rigid beneath his shirt. And he’s quieter than usual—like he’s retreating inward to survive the heat.

“Like what you see?” he asks with a smirk.

“Always,” I reply, and Thalia shoots us alookthat reminds me about her honeymoon comment in the car.

After what feels like hours of climbing, we reach what can only be the entrance to the Pyros Vault—a massive circular depression in the mountain, its center sealed by a dome of black volcanic glass.

“Is that it?” I ask, stepping closer to the dome.

Maeris approaches cautiously, water pooling in his palms. “According to the texts, yes. The Ember should be contained within the volcano.”

Thalia circles the dome, her eyes narrowed. “There must be a mechanism to open it. Some way to prove ourselves worthy.”

“Or we could just break it open,” Riven suggests, a dangerous glint in his silver eyes. Something sharper than humor lives in that expression—something colder than ice.

I reach through the bond, but it’s distant. As if he’s holding it back.

My heart stutters. Because even though we haven’t had this soul-fused bond for very long, I’ve never felt him block me out before. And he was so open with it in the car earlier. He let me feeleverything.I don’t think he meant to, but still, he did.

What on earth could he be trying to hide from me now?

I don’t know. But I can’t let myself get distracted. Riven knows how to take care of himself. Everything he does is to keep me safe, which he now understands means keepinghimselfsafe, since I have zero interest in having a life without him in it.

He’ll be okay.We’llbe okay. We always are, and I refuse to let that change.

So, I force my attention back to the Vault, studying the dome. There are intricate patterns etched into its surface—symbols that remind me of flames and smoke.

“These markings must mean something.” I turn to Maeris, since he seems the most knowledgeable about the ancient texts.

“They must,” he agrees. “Unfortunately, I’ve neverseen them before, nor were they mentioned in any books in the temple.”

I kneel beside the dome, my fingers hovering just above its surface, feeling the heat radiating from it. As I do, the Star Disc pulses at my side. So, I reach for it, studying it.

“Its points are sharp,” I say simply, watching as one sparkles in the sunlight. “Do you think that if I threw it at the symbols, maybe it could… cut open the dome?”

A glance around at the others shows me one thing: they don’t know.

Riven eventually nods, stepping away from the dome. “You could try,” he says, his eyes locked on mine. “But be careful, Starlight. And remember that I’ll rip apart the universe itself if that’s the cost of keeping you by my side.”

His voice is calm. Too calm. And that’s what makes my chest tighten. Because Riven doesn’t get like this unless something inside him is unraveling. He might think he’s covering it up by dulling the bond, but he can’t do that anymore. Not with me. We’re too connected by this point.