Tension Beneath the Bond
They packed in silence.
Christian felt it—a strain in the bond, a ripple of something left unsaid.
But Kien smiled too quickly, spoke too little.
He didn't push.
> "She's just tired," he told himself.
But the truth hung between them, heavier than any blade.
One shall burn.
One shall remain.
---
The Descent Begins
The path down the mountain was a shattered skeleton of stone and ice.
The air twisted with unnatural heat—the Scorch-Eater's scent in every gust.
Christian led. Kien watched his back, her hand always near her spirit blade, her heart splitting every step.
> "If it comes to it... would I let him burn?"
> "Or would he let me?"
The unspoken question made every footfall feel heavier.
---
The Hunter Appears
At the halfway point—a jagged ravine—they were ambushed.
Not by the Scorch-Eater.
But by a stranger wrapped in grey and crimson, wielding twin blades carved from petrified flame.
The stranger's voice was a low, almost reverent whisper:
> "I am Sairen of the Silent Flame.
You have tread where no bond should bloom.
I will sever you—before you doom us all."
Without warning, Sairen lunged—not at Christian, but at the bond itself, striking with spirit energy aimed to tear their souls apart.
Christian and Kien reacted in perfect sync:
Christian burned a shield of pure Voidfire.
Kien laced it with threads of frost, hardening it into diamond.
The first blow shattered air and rock—but not them.
Sairen smiled.
> "Good. It will make breaking you… all the sweeter."
---
Closing – Fractures and Fire
The mountain trembled again.
Far below, a second roar echoed—the Scorch-Eater's hunt had begun in earnest.
They had no choice.
Fight Sairen.
Escape.
Or fall, and let everything end here.
And all the while, Kien held the secret tight in her chest—afraid that telling Christian would break him… or herself.
---
To Be Continued…