POV: Konstantine
The air, saturated with a smell of sulfur and burnt blood, still vibrated with the residues of demonic and arcane mana that had clashed for hours. I was slumped on the ground, my broken body sunk into gray and burning dust. All my strength had vanished, and every fiber of my being screamed a pain so deep it became abstract.
A few meters from me, Loriel was not in a better state. She was lying on the ground, her voluptuous silhouette highlighted by the tears in her dress. The precious fabric was now nothing but a pile of blackened rags that revealed the curve of her hips and the whiteness of her skin now soiled by ash. Her long azure hair spread around her, their strands intertwined with dust and debris. She was still breathing, but her breath was short and labored, each inspiration costing her a visible effort.
