The psychic battlefield was crumbling. Hunger-Damien, sensing Alexander's momentary distraction from the physical betrayal, had woven that specific, bitter despair into his assault. The void wasn't just pressing in; it was whispering, poisoning.
"He chose his soldiers over you," the insidious thought coiled around Luna's spark. "He let the bombs fall on your school. Your father's love has limits. All love does."
Scarlett's shield, already cracked, groaned under the new, targeted attack. She felt the doubt trying to seep into her own unwavering love, a cold fear that maybe, in the end, Alexander had been forced to make a choice that left them to die.
Alexander's will, a distant, beleaguered star in their shared consciousness, roared in denial, but the damage was done. The seed of betrayal, watered by the very real explosions rocking both the Academy and the Kane Building, began to sprout.
