The roof of the spire was gone, and the tide of blue fire reached toward the heavens. Zarkas had been pushed back by the explosion, but his mocking laughter still echoed through the air.
"Foolish girl! This power is too much for your small frame. You will turn yourself to ash!" Zarkas screamed, forming a shield of black magic.
Zoya's ears were ringing. Her entire being trembled. The blue fire raced through her veins like blood, but it was burning her from the inside out. Tears of blood began to leak from her eyes, glowing in the blue radiance.
"Aryan..." she called out faintly, her throat parched.
Aryan, who had been thrown into the distance, felt his heart break when he saw Zoya's condition. He knew she was using the full power of 'Noor-e-Azrak'—a power that only ends in death.
"No, Zoya! Stop!" Aryan tried to stand using his sword for support. He channeled the last of his magical energy into his legs and made a desperate leap.
He landed directly between Zoya and Zarkas. Zarkas fired a black arrow at Zoya, but Aryan sliced it mid-air with his sword. However, the black magic scorched his arm.
"Aryan, leave! I can stop him," Zoya said with great difficulty, her lips turning blue.
"I told you," Aryan looked back into her eyes, his smile filled with both pain and love, "As long as I live, no harm will come to you. If you must die, death has to face me first."
Aryan drove his sword into the stone floor and grabbed Zoya's hand. As their palms met, the blue fire flowed into Aryan's body. It was a surreal sight—two bodies, one soul, and a vortex of blue fire.
Zarkas's eyes widened in horror. "This... this is impossible! The union of a rebel and a princess... the prophecy of the Black Moon is coming true!"
Together, they directed their combined power. A massive shadow resembling a blue dragon erupted from the flames and tore straight through Zarkas's chest. Zarkas let out one final scream and dissolved into black smoke, scattering in the wind.
Silence fell.
The blue fire slowly faded. Zoya collapsed into Aryan's arms. Aryan fell to his knees, his breath ragged. He saw Zoya's eyes closing.
"Zoya! Open your eyes! We defeated him," Aryan tapped her cheek.
Zoya barely lifted her eyelids. "We... did it... Aryan. But I... I'm so cold."
Aryan pulled her tight against his chest. Below the spire, the lights of the city were visible, where people were still huddled in fear. But here, on the heights of the tower, a new story was being written.
Suddenly, a mysterious woman appeared. She was dressed in white and held an ancient book. "A sacrifice has been made," she said, "But the secret is not yet fully revealed."
Aryan raised his sword. "Who are you?"
"I am the Guardian of Azrak. And you have only defeated one enemy. The true enemy has only just awakened."