Lucien's roar echoed through the battlefield like thunder crashing through a storm. He slammed into the black flames that separated him from Callista, the heat scorching but his fury hotter. With claws extended and eyes glowing gold, he forced his way through the barrier, piece by piece, howling with every burning step.
On the other side, Callista writhed beneath Sabrina's magic. Her limbs trembled, magic pulsing violently beneath her skin as the bloodlight chains continued to sap her strength. Sabrina loomed over her like a shadowed queen, her eyes glowing with sick triumph.
"You'll thank me later," she whispered cruelly. "When this is over, you'll be nothing but a shell—and I'll be everything."
A sudden surge of wind swept across the field. Elira, barely upright, raised her hand and called upon the remnants of the ancient ritual. The shattered runes flickered in response.
"I won't let you have her," Elira growled. With her free hand, she carved a symbol in the air, forming a sigil of reversal. "You may have interrupted the binding—but you forgot one thing: she's not fighting alone."
Lucien burst through the flames, smoke trailing from his body. His golden eyes locked with Callista's, and the mate bond pulsed alive between them.
He dropped to his knees beside her. "I'm here," he said, voice rough but steady. "I've got you."
Sabrina sneered. "Too late."
Lucien reached for the chains of bloodlight—and they burned him—but he didn't stop. He held onto them, ignoring the pain, pouring his energy into her. "Callista, listen to me. You are the key—but not just to destruction. You were made for more."
Elira added her magic to his, weaving a counter-spell with trembling hands. Together, their powers formed a golden thread, wrapping around the dark chains.
Inside her pain, Callista heard them—Lucien's voice, Elira's chant. And something inside her snapped. Her eyes flared—one gold, one crimson—and her magic erupted outward, shattering the bloodlight chains with a sound like cracking glass.
The backlash threw Sabrina across the battlefield, landing her hard on the rocky ground.
Callista rose slowly, glowing, trembling, but free. The air bent around her like a storm held at bay.
"You don't get to choose my fate anymore," she said, her voice echoing with layered power.
Sabrina spat blood, fury in her eyes. "You think you've won?"
Callista stepped forward. "No. But I'm done running."
Behind her, the warlock monster snarled and turned its glowing eyes toward her.
The final battle was about to begin.