The dimming came gradually, so subtly that Selena didn't notice it at first. She attributed the growing coldness to exhaustion—they had sung for what might have been hours or days, pouring themselves into the creation of the new song, giving voice to a future that had never existed before. Of course she would feel drained. Of course her ember-warmth would feel less vibrant after such expenditure.
But as she sat with Dante beneath the Silence Tree, his arms still wrapped around her, she realized that something was wrong. The cold wasn't fading. If anything, it was deepening, spreading from her core outward to her extremities. Her fingers felt numb despite being clasped in Dante's warm grip. Her scars, which had blazed with light throughout her verse, now barely glowed at all.
"Dante," she said, and was alarmed by how weak her voice sounded. "Something's happening."
