Alias leaned down, his forehead resting against Theo's, his hot tears spilling over his lashes and tracking long, wet lines through his face. He could feel the black veins of energy twisting beneath Theo's skin, tightening like iron wires around his soul, drinking his life force at a devastating speed.
Through the mist, Maya's light gave a weak, pathetic flicker, her small frame convulsing in a shallow, suffocating hitch.
Kael was growing colder by the second, his small hand still locked in a frozen grip around Theo's belt.
Alias's heart bled. A thick, suffocating wave of despair rose in his own throat, tasting of ash.
He promised he would protect them. He promised to come back. He promised…
Alias desperately tried to flood the pocket with his light, to command the grey walls to stop constricting, but the moment his energy touched the boundary, the black veins on Theo's chest flared violently, threatening to shred his spirit into nothingness.
