The throne shattered.
Violet shards exploded outward like a burst of dying stars, slicing through the air with lethal speed.
Owain tackled me to the ground instantly, curling his body over mine.
"DON'T MOVE!" he snarled, voice raw.
Shards struck him instead of me.
Dozens.
Some slicing his back.
Some embedding into his skin.
He didn't make a sound.
He didn't even flinch.
His entire body was just—
protecting mine.
Yllas swooped down, wings unfurling into a blazing wall of flame and scale, redirecting shards away from Gerrin and Helion.
Gerrin summoned a dome of silver runes, panting.
Helion caught a shard mid-air with his bare hand and flung it aside, golden claws sparking.
The Sanctuary moaned.
Stone walls cracked.
Runes flickered, dying.
The floor rippled like something alive.
Helion whispered, "Oh, this is bad."
Yllas shot him a glare.
"You think?"
Owain pressed my head into his shoulder as the ceiling shook.
"Kanah—keep your eyes closed—don't breathe too deeply—stay with me—"
His voice broke on the last words.
I touched his cheek weakly.
"Owain… you're bleeding."
"Doesn't matter."
"It does."
His chest trembled against my palm.
"No," he whispered fiercely, "YOU matter."
Before I could answer, the Sanctuary let out a sound like thunder.
Gerrin gasped. "The central wards are collapsing!"
Helion squinted up. "And the ceiling's going to bury us alive. Fun."
"MOVE!" Yllas roared.
The Sanctuary Comes Down
The first collapse hit the western side.
A pillar fell like a felled tree—
shattering into dust on impact.
Stone chunks flew everywhere.
Crystals exploded in bursts of violet sparks.
Gerrin shouted, "The whole structure is about to fall! We need to get her out NOW!"
Owain lifted me instantly.
"I'm not letting her out of my arms. Lead me."
Yllas spread his wings wide.
"Stay behind me. I'll shield you."
Helion leapt ahead, tail lashing.
"Come on! Before the ceiling caves!"
The floor cracked beneath our feet.
The room tilted violently.
Owain stumbled but never dropped me, arms like iron around my body.
"Owain—your back—"
"I said it doesn't matter!"
A surge hit my chest without warning—
violet
silver
gold
blue
all clashing violently.
I screamed.
Owain almost dropped to his knees, clutching me tightly.
"KANAH! Stay with me—please—"
Yllas grabbed Owain's shoulder, steadying him.
"She's destabilizing again!"
A chunk of ceiling fell—
Yllas threw out his wings, blocking the debris with his own body.
Stone shattered across his back.
He grunted but didn't falter.
Helion glanced back. "I'll kill you if you die, dragon!"
"I'm not dying," Yllas snapped.
Gerrin slammed his staff into the ground.
"Everyone—run NOW!"
Owain obeyed first, sprinting through collapsing rubble with me in his arms.
Yllas shielded us from the falling stone.
Helion cut through debris ahead with glowing claws.
Gerrin redirected magic with frantic precision.
The Sanctuary groaned again—
deep, ancient, final.
Then—
The central chamber floor dropped out.
"Owain, JUMP!" Yllas roared.
Owain didn't hesitate.
He leapt—
as the ground behind us fell into a bottomless abyss.
I screamed his name.
He didn't slow.
Didn't falter.
He held me tighter.
"I've got you—always—"
But then—
The ceiling above us cracked open like splitting bone.
And something massive fell—
straight toward us.
Yllas tackled us sideways, wings wrapping around both me and Owain like a blazing cocoon of scale and fire.
The impact exploded across him.
He didn't let go.
"Owain—MOVE!" Yllas shouted through gritted teeth.
Owain scrambled to his feet, pulling me against his chest.
"Yllas—your wings—"
"They'll heal," Yllas gasped, staggering upright. "Go!"
Helion called out from the far hall.
"MOVE IT! The next collapse is coming!"
Gerrin yelled, "The exit is closing—RUN!"
Owain sprinted.
Yllas ran behind us, wings dragging.
Helion doubled back to grab Gerrin's arm and yank him forward.
And then—
We reached the entrance tunnel.
Which was already caving in.
"Owain!" Helion shouted. "FASTER!"
Owain grabbed me tighter.
"Hold on."
"Owain—your legs—your wounds—"
"Hold. On."
He burst forward with a wolf's explosive strength—
dodging falling rocks
leaping over cracks
protecting me with his entire body.
A final collapse roared behind us—
the ceiling falling in a massive wave.
Owai n lunged—
Yllas shoved us forward—
Helion grabbed Gerrin and threw him ahead—
Stone crashed down behind us, sealing the entrance—
and the world went silent.
The Sanctuary had collapsed.
We stood outside in the snow, panting and shaking.
Owain lifted me closer.
"You're safe," he whispered.
But—
I wasn't.
Magical Backlash
Pain slammed into me like a fist.
Violet light burst from my chest.
My back arched violently.
Owain caught me as I screamed.
"KANAH!"
Gerrin rushed over, eyes wide.
"She's going into backlash—too much magic—too fast—"
Yllas grabbed my wrist, eyes blazing.
"Her seal is fracturing—"
Helion snarled, tail thrashing.
"WELL FIX IT—"
"I CAN'T FIX IT!" Gerrin shouted. "She needs to release the magic—NOW—before it destroys her heart!"
Owain's breath stopped.
"Tell me what to do!"
Gerrin hesitated.
"OWAIN!"
His voice cracked.
Gerrin swallowed hard.
"She needs a grounding anchor. Something strong enough to override both bloodlines."
Yllas stepped closer.
"Use the dragon bond."
Owain snarled.
"You stay away from her!"
Gerrin shouted, "WOLF ANCHORS DON'T WORK ON ROYAL SEALS!"
Owain's world shattered.
His head bowed.
His grip tightened.
His voice shook like breaking bone.
"Please… don't take her from me…"
Helion stepped forward.
"Let me anchor her."
Owain lunged at him, fangs bared.
"YOU—TOUCH—HER—AND—I—KILL—YOU—"
Gerrin raised both hands.
"All of you—STOP!"
They froze.
Gerrin turned to me.
"Kanah," he said softly, "you have to choose."
My breath shook.
My vision blurred.
"Choose an anchor," Gerrin whispered.
"Choose someone."
"And if she doesn't?" Yllas asked quietly.
"She dies."
Owain's heart broke in real time.
His voice was a whisper.
Cracked.
Shattered.
"Kanah… please."
The magical backlash surged again, ripping a scream from my lungs.
Owain held me so tightly his hands shook.
Yllas reached out, jaw tight.
Gerrin pressed a hand to my forehead.
Helion stepped closer despite Owain's growl.
"Choose," Gerrin whispered again.
I opened my mouth—
And darkness swallowed my vision—
as someone grabbed me.
Not physically.
Through magic.
A voice whispered in my mind:
Choose me.
Not them.
Me.
The Beast King.
My breath stopped.
Pain exploded.
My heart stuttered.
Owain screamed my name.
Yllas lunged.
Gerrin cast.
Helion snarled.
But I—
I fell.
And everything went black.