The energy didn't fade.
Even after the cloaked figure vanished, even after the Heart of Ascension began to dim—the bond still pulsed like it was alive inside them.
Cas stumbled forward, the ground under his boots humming with residual magic. Evren caught him by the wrist, steadying him with that too-firm grip Cas had come to expect.
But this time, Evren didn't let go.
"You alright?" he asked, voice low and quiet.
Cas nodded, barely. "Yeah. Just… everything's louder."
Evren tilted his head. "The bond?"
Cas looked up into his eyes. "You."
The silence that followed said more than any system notification ever could. The bond didn't just hum now—it throbbed. Electric. Warm. Charged with everything they hadn't said but couldn't hide anymore.
🔔 System Update: Bond Fully Synchronized
➤ New Skill Tree Unlocked: Ascendant Pairing➤ Warning: Emotional bleed may intensify. Personal boundaries may dissolve during sync.➤ Proceed with caution.
Evren glanced at the message, jaw tightening. "Emotional bleed?"
Cas gave a weak laugh. "Guess it means we're officially in each other's heads now."
A pause.
"You scared?"
Cas didn't answer right away. Then: "Yeah. But not of you."
Evren's eyes lingered on him, darker now. Not threatening—just intense.
"Let's get out of here," he said, voice suddenly rougher. "Before this place starts pulling more truth out of us."
Cas's pulse jumped. "Good idea."
Temporary Shelter
Back in a safer zone beyond the rift, they found shelter—an abandoned outpost left behind by other bonded pairs long gone. Dusty, quiet, and private.
Cas peeled off his jacket and dropped onto the edge of the low bed. The room had only one. Of course it did.
Evren stood by the far wall, unstrapping his gauntlets with slow, deliberate motions. His jaw was tight. His eyes flicked to Cas. Then away.
The silence stretched.
Cas's voice was soft. "So. We're synced. Fully."
Evren nodded, not turning around. "Yeah."
Cas swallowed. "And we both felt what that place showed us."
Evren finally turned, his gaze landing on him hard. "I didn't want you to see my worst."
Cas stood. Took a step closer.
"And I didn't want you to see mine. But now you have. And you're still here."
Evren's breath caught. "I am."
Cas's hand reached out, brushing Evren's wrist. A spark ran up his spine.
"This bond," Cas whispered, "it's not just magic. It's us. What we let in. What we give."
Evren didn't answer with words. Instead, he stepped in—closer than before. Their foreheads nearly touched.
"You sure?" he murmured, voice low, voice rough.
Cas breathed out, "Yeah."
🔥 Intimacy — Fused
The kiss hit like gravity giving out.
No hesitation now. No holding back. Cas grabbed Evren's jacket and pulled him forward. Evren's hands were already on him, fingers curling around his hips, then up his back, then everywhere all at once.
The bond flared—so hot it hurt. Their magic swirled around them like a cyclone, charging the air, illuminating the room in soft pulses of blue and gold.
Cas's lips parted with a gasp. Evren's mouth trailed lower. His hands knew exactly where to grip, where to linger. It was instinct now. Raw. Fused. Every touch between them echoed inside them through the bond.
Clothes dropped. Breath hitched. Skin met skin.
They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Cas arched under Evren's touch, biting back a moan. Evren's hand tangled in his hair, grounding them both. They moved together, in rhythm, like a dance only they could hear.
Every press of Evren's body, every whispered gasp from Cas, sent another ripple through the bond. It deepened. Tightened.
It hurt, in the way lightning hurts: too powerful, too bright, too real.
Cas dug his nails into Evren's back. "Don't stop."
"Never," Evren whispered. "Not when it's you."
Aftermath
They lay tangled in the aftermath, breath heavy, skin slick, the bond a slow-burning glow between them now—no longer unstable.
Cas rested his head on Evren's shoulder, fingers lightly tracing the scar along his chest.
"Was that… normal?" he asked, still breathless.
Evren gave a rough laugh. "If that's normal, I don't want weird."
Cas smiled against his skin. "We're stronger now."
"Yeah," Evren said quietly. "But we just lit a beacon. Anyone watching the bond threads out there? They felt that."
Cas's eyes flicked up. "Let them come."