I stood slowly, my voice distant. "How did you enter here?"
He held something in his hand—glowing faintly. "I made a deal. One I probably shouldn't have."
The gods bristled.
Lucas kept his gaze on me. "I had to see you. To warn you. There's something else coming. Something worse than Caelum. I saw it in the breach. It's already begun."
My spine stiffened. "What is it?"
"I don't know. But it knew you. It called your name like a curse and a prayer."
The gods murmured.
Lucas stepped closer.
But I didn't move.
"I don't remember you," I said softly. "Not the way I want to. The way I did."
"I know," he whispered. "But I'm not here for that."
A beat of silence.
"I'm here to fight. Beside you. Even if you don't remember us. Even if you never love me again."
I stared at him, the throne pulsing behind me.
He was real.
And so was the storm coming.
I turned to the gods. "Then send us where we're needed. If the realms are cracking, we won't wait for the pieces to fall."
