They left before dawn.
Not because they wanted to.
Because staying would mean death.
Elion could barely walk. Every step was pain. Every breath burned. Still, he never let go of her hand.
She supported him, guilt crushing her chest.
Behind them, the village woke to destruction.
Ahead of them waited nothing kind.
By midday, whispers were already spreading.
A girl who burned cities.
A boy who stood in the fire and lived.
A love that turned the earth violent.
They became a warning.
And love had only just begun to test them.