She felt it before it happened.
The pressure in her chest. The familiar hum beneath her skin. The warning she had learned to fear.
Elion was in danger.
She did not know how she knew. She only knew that the world suddenly felt too loud, too sharp, as if something unseen had turned toward him.
She ran.
By the time she reached the edge of the village, smoke already stained the sky.
Elion stood at the center of the chaos.
Men surrounded him. Their voices were harsh, accusing. Someone had blamed him for something missing, something broken. Fear had turned into cruelty the way it always did.
She pushed through the crowd.
"Stop," she said.
Elion turned.
For a moment, the world stilled.
"You should not be here," he said quietly. Not angry. Not relieved. Just tired.
Her chest tightened. "I felt you."
That was when it broke.
The fear. The love. The memory of burning streets.
The ground trembled beneath her feet.
A violent rush of heat surged through the air. Windows shattered. People screamed as the earth cracked, splitting the space between her and Elion.
"No," she whispered. "Not again."
Flames erupted, wild and uncontrolled, licking the edges of the street. The smell of smoke dragged her back to the city she destroyed.
Elion did not run.
He stepped toward her.
"Look at me," he said.
The fire flared higher.
Tears streamed down her face. "You have to leave. This is why I left."
"I am still here," he replied.
The ground shook again. A wall collapsed nearby.
She screamed, dropping to her knees. "I cannot stop it."
Elion reached her and took her trembling hands.
The moment he touched her, the fire faltered.
Not gone.
But listening.
Her breath hitched.
The power inside her recoiled, as if confused.
"You are not a monster," Elion said softly. "You are afraid."
The flames died into smoke.
Silence fell.
The crowd stared in horror.
She looked at Elion, terrified. "You should hate me."
He shook his head. "You are not the one who destroyed that city."
"But I am the one who survived," she whispered.
Elion pulled her into his chest as ash settled around them.
"Then survive with me," he said.
But even as she clung to him, she knew.
This would not be the last time her power answered love.
And next time, it might not stop.