Ren's breath burned like fire in his lungs. The black water still pressed against him, choking, heavy, but it no longer swallowed him whole. His flames had carved out a sphere around his body, an ember of defiance amid endless dark.
The chains binding him hissed, glowing red where his fire licked against them. The reflection—his doppelgänger with those hollow, glass-like eyes—watched silently, almost curiously, as if measuring how much more Ren could break before shattering.
"You'll burn yourself hollow," the reflection murmured. "But isn't that what you've always done? Pretending heat makes you alive, when all it does is consume."
Ren grit his teeth. His voice was ragged, but it carried.
"I don't care if it consumes me. As long as it reaches her."
The vow-thread at his chest pulsed again. He could feel her—struggling outside, wings bleeding light, holding off three chained versions of himself. Every time her heartbeat stumbled, it made his flame surge higher.
