The burst of black light rolled through the chapel like thunder. Every window shattered, glass raining over the floor. The air tasted like ash and iron. Lorenzo hit the ground with Aria in his arms, shielding her from the falling debris.
When the silence came, it wasn't peaceful. It was heavy, a kind of silence that hummed, like something alive.
Elias coughed and pushed himself up. His nose bled, his voice shaking. "The mirror… it's gone."
Lorenzo looked down at Aria. Her eyes were closed, but her chest rose and fell. For a moment he thought she was still sleeping. Then her fingers twitched again, curling against his shirt like claws.
"Aria?" he whispered. "Can you hear me?"
Her eyes opened.
The gold and black swirled inside her pupils, slow and endless, like galaxies collapsing. She blinked once, confused, then sat up. The world around her flickered, the candles bent toward her, flames stretching as if pulled by her breath.
