Lucian's POV
The air was thick with the scent of burned magic. My lungs ached from smoke that wasn't smoke, but the residue of Morgath's illusions, heavy, metallic and clinging to the back of my throat. My skin burned, every nerve still raw from the transformation. I could taste the faint tang of blood in the air, mine, hers and something far older.
Selene knelt beside me in the forest clearing, her hair tangled with moonlight, her cloak torn and singed. And as i reached for Selene's hand…. the silver mark on her wrist began to burn.
The first relic had been claimed.
But the true price of her power… had only just begun. In her hand lay the Eldertree Leaf, glowing faintly, as though aware of its new bearer. Its light pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, alive, ancient.
"Lucian," she said softly, her voice breaking through the static in my head. "Are you all right?"
