At the center of the Shadow's storm, Ronan waited.
His massive body loomed, his claws dripping void, his voice echoing in every direction. "You cannot kill me. I am you. I am every flame. Every death. Every fall."
Aradia's fire blazed. Kael's wolf roared. Together, they struck.
Her flames seared his runes, his screams shaking the mountains. Kael's claws ripped his chest, his green eyes burning brighter than shadow.
Ronan staggered, his body breaking. For the first time, he faltered.
Aradia's tears fell as she raised her hands, her fire blazing brighter, her voice breaking. "I loved you once. I pitied you once. But no more."
Her flames consumed him. Kael's claws tore him apart.
Ronan screamed—wolf, man, shadow—and then he was gone.
For the first time, silence fell.
But the Shadow remained.