The battlefield trembled under the weight of flame and shadow. Shattered glass still fell like crimson snow, each shard burning as Ren's fire licked across the broken ground. The vow-thread pulsed fiercely between him and the girl, binding them together in defiance of the prison that had sought to tear them apart.
Ren held her close, lowering her gently against the cracked ground. Her breaths were shallow, heat pouring from her body not from fire but from the venom that writhed in her blood. Her unstable wings had dissolved into shimmering dust, and yet—her eyes still clung to his, unwilling to yield.
"Don't… you dare…" she whispered, voice rasped, "…lose."
Ren brushed her hair back, the heat of his flames dimming just enough to touch her without harm. His jaw tightened. "I won't."
He rose, and the battlefield shifted.
The knight stood firm, its blade a tower of pale silver light, its chained armor clanking with each step.
