The lantern's glow washed over Kira's skin, warm and steady now. She rose slowly, her legs trembling.
Ren stood too, eyes gleaming in the new light. "That was more than I'd hoped for."
She looked at him. "There are… hundreds of these lanterns."
"Yes." He gave a small smile. "And one heart-stone left."
A chill ran through her. "That's why you called me."
Ren nodded. "You're the first mage I've met who still remembers the old ways. The Guild turned their backs years ago."
Kira swallowed. The Guild — her former teachers — had declared the Lantern Magic obsolete, too unstable. They'd forbidden its practice.
But without it, the city would fall.
Ren watched her struggle with her thoughts. Gently, he said, "I can't force you to stay. This is dangerous work. But if you walk away… the dark will swallow Darrien."
Kira met his gaze. Something about him— calm beneath the weight of the task, steady in the face of ruin — made her trust him more than any Guildmaster ever had.
"I'm not leaving," she said.
His grin returned. "Good. Then let's not waste the light."
---
They descended into the tower's lower levels — a web of catwalks and ancient machinery. Kira marveled at the runes etched into the beams, half-forgotten scripts of starlight and shadow.
Ren led her to a narrow alcove, where a battered map of the city lay pinned to the wall. Small metal tokens marked the remaining lanterns — most of them dark.
"Four lanterns still burn," Ren said, tapping their positions. "You just relit the fifth. The others—" He gestured to the sea of unlit tokens. "—have gone cold."
Kira frowned. "And you've been trying to relight them alone?"
He shrugged. "I'm stubborn."
"You're mad."
"Possibly."
They shared a brief smile — the first lightness since she'd arrived.
Then Ren grew serious. "Tomorrow, we'll head to Lantern Row — the lower quarter. Its lanterns were the first to fail."
Kira hesitated. "Why start there?"
"Because if we can bring them back," he said softly, "the people will know hope again. They've lived too long in the dark."
She drew a slow breath. "Then we start at dawn."
Ren met her gaze — something fierce and quiet in his eyes. "We start together."
---
As night deepened, they prepared their gear — climbing harnesses, rope, a small pack of mage's chalk and warding stones.
Ren handed her a flask. "Drink. You'll need your strength."
Kira accepted it, surprised to find the tea inside warm and sweet.
She looked at him then — the last Keeper, weary but unbroken. "Why do you fight so hard for this city?"
Ren paused. "Because someone has to. And because… years ago, a Keeper saved me. I owe them a light in return."
Kira smiled softly. "Then let's save it together."
Above them, the newly lit lantern burned bright — a beacon against the shadows.
And in the quiet hours before dawn, two sparks — a mage and a Keeper — prepared to kindle the flames of hope once more.