The air hung heavy with the scent of ancient stone and the lingering promise of something dark, something unstoppable. Elara stood at the heart of the ruin, her gaze fixed on the altar before her, eyes tracing the intricate runes that pulsed with an otherworldly light. The Void within her, ever-present, thrummed and shifted like a living thing, its hunger insatiable. It was no longer something she could fight or even ignore. It was a part of her, intertwined with her very being.
Behind her, Aiden remained still, his presence a steady anchor even as the world seemed to tremble with the power she had unleashed. His silence spoke volumes. There was fear in his eyes—fear for her, for what she had become—but there was something else, too. A recognition. A knowing that the path they walked had led them here, to this moment, and there was no turning back.
