Elena scrambled toward him, momentarily forgetting her own fear.
That's when she saw it.
The gash on his arm.
Blood had soaked through his sleeve and spread across his wrist. His face was paler than before, and beads of sweat clung to his forehead.
"No, no, no..."
She hurried to his side and tore off the end of her sleeve. Her hands shook as she wrapped the fabric tightly around his injured arm.
"I'm fine," Dante muttered.
"No, you are not!"
Elena's voice echoed through the chamber.
"You're losing too much blood! Lena is unconscious, and I have no idea if she's going to make it! Leo and the others are out there with Yami and Amber, and we don't even know if they'll survive!"
She tightened the makeshift bandage.
"Our plan has failed, Dante!"
Her voice broke on the last word.
"Innocent people are going to die because of me! I insisted on bringing everyone here to rescue Amber, and now look at us!"
She gestured helplessly at the ruined chamber.
"What am I supposed to do?"
Her hands fell into her lap.
For the first time since they had begun this journey, Elena had no idea what came next.
She had always believed that if she tried hard enough, if she refused to give up, she would eventually find a way.
But what if determination wasn't enough?
What if her best intentions were simply another way of leading people to their deaths?
The chamber was quiet except for her sobs.
Dante struggled to sit up.
"Elena."
She didn't look at him.
"It's not over yet," he repeated.
"It is."
Her voice was hollow.
"We're trapped in a ruined temple with no way out. You're about to pass out from losing too much blood, and Lena is unconscious."
She wiped her face with the back of her hand.
"Even if we escape, we don't know what's happening outside. How are we supposed to save anyone?"
Dante let out a slow breath.
"I'm not weak because of the injury on my arm. I've survived far worse. This little cut is nothing."
Elena turned toward him sharply.
"Then why can you barely keep your eyes open?"
For a second, Dante said nothing.
Then he gave a tired smile.
"Because I may have overdone it a little."
"A little?"
"I sent out my shadows to help Leo and the others."
Elena stared at him.
"You did what?"
"I created too many shadow assassins. It's a consequence of overusing my power."
He shifted against the wall, wincing as the movement pulled at his injured arm.
"They can't be eradicated permanently. No matter how many times they're destroyed, they come back. But there's a catch."
His breath caught.
"They only remain active as long as I stay conscious."
Elena's eyes widened.
"And you're telling me this now?"
He managed a weak chuckle, but it quickly turned into a strained breath.
"By the looks of it, I don't have much time left before I pass out."
His eyes twitched, and his breathing grew faster.
Elena's anger dissolved into fear.
"Then we have to find a way out of here so we can help them."
"And you are the key, Elena."
She blinked.
"Me?"
He nodded toward the blocked entrance.
"Use your magic to tear through the rocks."
Elena stared at him as though he had lost his mind.
"Are you forgetting that it's because of me that we're trapped in here in the first place?"
"I haven't forgotten."
"Then how am I supposed to get us out? I can barely control my magic!"
"I'll guide you."
Dante tried to push himself upright, but his arm gave way. He caught himself against the wall, his jaw tightening against the pain.
Elena immediately reached for him.
"Don't move!"
"I'm fine."
"Stop saying that!"
Despite herself, she almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
He was injured, exhausted, and on the verge of passing out, yet he still had the nerve to pretend nothing was wrong.
Dante looked at her.
"Listen to me, Elena. Your magic is stronger than you think. You felt it responding to this place, didn't you?"
She hesitated.
"Yes, but I don't understand why."
"You don't need to understand everything right now. You just need to learn how to direct it."
"And what if I can't?"
Dante held her gaze.
"Then we'll find another way."
Elena stared at him.
Even now, when he could barely keep himself upright, he wasn't giving up.
Somehow, that made the fear inside her feel a little less overwhelming.
"Is there a way you can stay awake longer?" she asked.
Her arms trembled as she reached for his face, gently brushing the stubborn strands of raven-black hair away from his eyes.
Dante's gaze softened at the touch.
"I can if I call back my shadows."
"Then do it."
"I can't."
"Why not?"
He looked away.
"They're the only things keeping Amber and Yami at bay. I can see what's happening outside through their eyes, Elena."
His voice grew quieter.
"And it isn't good."
Elena's heart sank.
.
They were running out of time.
Elena took a shaky breath and forced herself to stand.
"Concentrate on keeping your shadows active for as long as possible. I'll get us out of here on my own."
Dante looked up at her.
"Elena..."
She leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
It was brief.
Barely more than a brush of her lips against his skin.
But for a moment, Dante forgot about the pain in his arm.
He forgot about the collapsing temple, the shadows draining his strength, and the danger waiting outside.
All he could think about was the warmth of her lips against his cheek.
Elena pulled away, her cheeks faintly flushed despite everything happening around them.
"You better not die because if you do, I'll kill you."
Dante stared at her.
Then a small, helpless smile tugged at his lips.
"That's a rather complicated threat, Tiger."
"Just stay alive!"
She turned before he could see the tears gathering in her eyes again.
Dante watched her walk away.
His fingers rose unconsciously to the spot where she had kissed him.
Even as the energy drained from his body and his eyelids grew heavy, he couldn't stop the faint smile on his face.
Then his smile faded.
He forced his eyes open and focused on the shadows he had sent beyond the temple.
He couldn't afford to lose consciousness.
Not yet.
Not while Elena was still in danger.
---
Elena made her way toward the entrance, stepping carefully over broken stones.
Her legs felt unsteady, but she forced herself forward.
A faint tremor passed beneath her feet.
Elena stopped.
She looked down.
A thin crack ran across the stone floor ahead of her.
She hadn't noticed it before.
The crack was narrow at first, barely visible beneath the dust. But as she watched, it seemed to lengthen, stretching across the floor toward her.
Elena frowned.
Another faint rumble echoed through the chamber.
She glanced at the walls, expecting another collapse.
Nothing happened.
Then she noticed the light.
A dim red glow seeped through the crack.
Elena stared at it.
The light pulsed once.
Then again.
Her pressure magic answered with a sudden throb beneath her skin.
She gasped and pressed a hand against her chest.
"What...?"
The glow vanished.
Elena took a cautious step backward.
The moment she moved, the pressure in her chest eased.
She stood still, staring at the floor.
That was strange.
She had felt the same sensation when she first entered the temple. Back then, she had assumed the ruins were reacting to her magic.
But this felt different.
It wasn't simply a response.
It felt as though something had noticed her.
Something beneath the floor.
Elena shook her head.
She was exhausted. Frightened. Her magic was behaving in ways she couldn't explain, and she had more important things to worry about than strange lights.
She turned away.
A sharp pulse shot through her body.
Her pressure magic flared.
The red glow returned.
This time, it was brighter.
Elena froze.
The crack widened with a faint grinding sound, sending a thin line of dust trickling into the darkness below.
She could hear something.
Not a voice.
Not exactly.
It was a low, distant vibration that seemed to travel through her bones rather than her ears.
Her fingers tingled.
The pressure magic in her veins surged, drawing her attention back to the crack.
She tried to look away.
She couldn't.
The red light flickered again, and for the briefest moment, Elena thought she saw something moving beneath the stone.
Her breath caught.
A memory flashed through her mind.
A hand reaching toward her.
The glint of a weapon.
A voice she couldn't recognize.
Then it was gone.
Elena staggered.
"What is happening to me?"
She reached for the wall to steady herself.
Behind her, Dante lifted his head.
"Elena?"
She didn't answer.
His eyes narrowed as he watched her standing motionless before the crack.
Something was wrong.
He could feel it even through his exhaustion.
"Elena, come back here."
Her fingers twitched.
The stone beneath her feet began to tremble.
Dante tried to stand.
Pain shot through his injured arm, and he stumbled back against the wall.
"Elena!"
She finally moved.
But instead of retreating, she took a step toward the crack.
Then another.
Her expression had gone strangely blank.
It was as though she were listening to something neither Dante nor Lena could hear.
"Elena, stop!"
The words barely left his mouth before the magic around her erupted.
A powerful gust swept through the chamber, throwing dust and loose stones into the air.
Dante shielded his face.
When he looked up, Elena was standing directly above the widening crack.
Her hair stirred in the unnatural wind.
The red glow illuminated her face from below, casting strange shadows beneath her eyes.
She slowly raised her hand.
Dante tried to move toward her, but his legs trembled beneath him..
Her attention was fixed entirely on whatever lay beneath the floor.
A strange magic pulled at Elena, drawing her forward.
She stopped just short of the crack.
For one fleeting moment, she seemed to regain control.
Her eyes shifted, and she looked down at her hand as if she had no idea why she had raised it.
Then the red light pulsed.
Elena's expression emptied again.
With a slow, almost unconscious movement, she crouched and placed her palm against the centre of the crack.
The reaction was immediate.
A deep vibration surged through the temple.
Dante's eyes widened.
"No!"
The floor split apart.
A deafening crack rang through the chamber as the stone beneath Elena's hand shattered.
She barely had time to gasp before the ground gave way beneath her feet.
"ELENA!"Dante lunged forward.
But he was too far away.
The floor crumbled, swallowing her into the darkness below.
Dante dropped to his knees.
"Elena..."
His voice was barely a whisper.
He stared at the place where she had disappeared, his heart hammering against his ribs.
His fingers dug into the stone floor as he tried to force himself upright.
"Elena!"
Only silence answered him.
Whatever lay beneath the temple had just taken her from him.