They were falling.
On opposite sides of the abyss.
Caelum vanished into crushing depth, light dimming as pressure swallowed him whole. Noctyrr disappeared into spiraling shadow, dark currents snapping shut like jaws.
And Aerin—
Hung suspended between them.
The Sovereign's power held her aloft, a cruel stillness in a storming trench.
"Choose," it whispered.
The word echoed through the abyss, through her veins, through the bond.
To her left—panic flared sharp and feral. Noctyrr. His power raged against containment, furious at distance, furious at helplessness. She felt his instinct tearing at the shadows, trying to rip a path back to her even as the abyss tried to consume him.
To her right—Caelum's presence dimmed but did not fracture. He conserved strength. Calculated. Endured. Even now, even falling, he was holding himself steady for her sake.
The Sovereign's voice pressed closer.
"One will drown. One will be devoured. Save the one you cannot live without."
