They took her underground.
Deep beneath the Infernal Citadel, past screaming walls and sealed vaults that pulsed like living organs, Kael led Elara into a chamber carved from black stone and bone. The air here was heavy—thick with old magic, blood, and something starving.
"This place is warded," Kael said. "Nothing escapes it. Not even screams."
Elara swallowed. "That's comforting."
He looked at her. "It's necessary."
The moment she stepped inside, her knees buckled.
Pain ripped through her spine, sharp and intimate, like invisible claws dragging along her nerves. She cried out, clutching her chest.
Kael caught her instantly.
"It's the restraint," he said tightly. "Hell is suppressing you."
Her breath came in short gasps. "It hurts."
"I know."
He set her gently on her feet, but didn't let go.
"The problem," Kael continued, "is that Blood Witches aren't meant to be restrained."
Her vision blurred. The world felt dimmer, duller, like she was starving without knowing what food tasted like.
She pressed a hand to her chest. "I feel empty."
Kael's jaw clenched.
"That's the hunger."
Before she could ask what that meant, chains erupted from the walls, slamming into the floor around her. Runes flared violently, lighting the chamber in red.
Elara flinched. "Kael—"
"This is training," he said. "And it's going to hurt."
The chains snapped tight around her wrists—not restraining her, but provoking her magic. The ache in her veins intensified, burning now, demanding release.
Elara screamed.
Power surged instinctively, slamming into the restraints—
—and rebounded.
She collapsed to her knees, sobbing, hands trembling violently.
"I can't," she gasped. "I can't reach it."
Kael knelt in front of her, eyes dark.
"You don't take power," he said. "You pull it."
She looked up at him, tears streaking her face. "From where?"
His voice dropped. "From blood."
The word settled between them like a blade.
"I don't want to hurt anyone," she whispered.
Kael didn't look away. "You already have."
Silence stretched.
Her body shook—not just from pain, but from the truth.
"Start with me," he said..
Her eyes widened in horror. "No."
"I won't break," he replied calmly. "And you won't survive if you don't learn."
The hunger inside her twisted violently, reacting to him—his presence, his blood, his power.
Her hands trembled as she reached out.
The instant her fingers brushed his wrist—
Power exploded.
Elara cried out as magic flooded back into her veins, intoxicating and violent. Kael hissed sharply, jaw tightening as crimson light raced beneath his skin.
The chains rattled.
The runes flickered.
Elara gasped, clutching his arm harder without thinking, drinking.
"Enough," Kael growled through clenched teeth.
She released him instantly, horror crashing down.
"I—I'm sorry—"
Kael staggered back one step, breathing hard.
Then he laughed.
Low. Dark. Unsettled.
"That," he said, eyes burning, "was control."
Elara stared at her hands.
She felt stronger.
Clearer.
Alive.
And that terrified her.
"What if I can't stop next time?" she whispered.
Kael stepped closer again, gaze intense.
"Then I'll stop you."
She searched his face. "And if you can't?"
His expression softened—just barely.
"Then Hell will learn fear."
The chains withdrew.
The chamber fell silent.
Elara hugged herself, shaking—not from pain anymore, but from the realization settling deep in her bones:
The hunger wasn't a side effect.
It was part of her.
And Kael wasn't just her protector.
He was her anchor.
Her limit.
And possibly—
Her undoing.