The air in the clearing was thick and heavy, humming with an energy I couldn't understand. My chest felt tight as I stood just outside the circle Magnus had drawn, watching as Elias's body lay motionless on the altar. The cold, pale light of the moon struggled to pierce through the haze of magic swirling around us.
Magnus was chanting, his voice low and steady, the foreign words rolling off his tongue like a spellbinding melody. His hands moved in precise, calculated gestures, and I could see the veins on his temples bulging from the strain of whatever ritual he was performing.
"Magnus, you don't need to go this far!" My voice cracked, but I couldn't stop myself from yelling. My hands clenched into fists at my sides, helpless. "He's been through enough!"
Magnus ignored me, his focus entirely on the altar. The runes carved into the stone began to glow, first faintly and then brighter with each word he spoke. They pulsed, their red light syncing with the rhythm of Magnus's chant.
I took a step forward, but an invisible barrier pushed me back, hard enough to make me stumble. "What the hell is this? Magnus, let me through!"
He didn't even glance in my direction. Instead, the energy in the clearing grew sharper, vibrating through my bones. A glowing orb of light appeared above Elias's chest, spinning slowly at first but picking up speed with every second. The light was blinding, but I couldn't look away.
Elias's body jerked suddenly, his back arching off the stone as though a bolt of electricity had passed through him. His mouth opened in a silent scream, and the sight of his agony tore through me like a blade.
"Elias!" I shouted, my voice breaking. I slammed my fists against the barrier, ignoring the jolt of pain that shot through me. "Stop this, Magnus! You're killing him!"
The chant reached its peak, and the glowing orb above Elias sank into his chest in a flash of light so intense I had to shield my eyes. When I opened them again, the clearing was eerily still. The runes on the altar dimmed, and the oppressive energy in the air began to fade.
I held my breath, staring at Elias's unmoving body. Then, his fingers twitched.
"Elias?" My voice was barely a whisper.
His chest rose with a sharp inhale, and then he sat up. His movements were stiff, unnatural, like a puppet on strings. When he turned his head to look at me, my heart stopped. His eyes, once a soft brown, now glowed gold, their light piercing and cold.
"Elias," I said again, stepping forward as the barrier finally dissolved.
He stared at me for a moment, his expression blank, before tilting his head slightly. "Ronan," he said, his voice soft but strange. It was his voice, but something about it was… wrong.
I took another step closer, my hands trembling. "It's me. I'm here."
He blinked, and his gaze shifted as if he were trying to remember something. "I know you," he said slowly. "But… everything feels different."
"What do you mean?" My throat felt tight, but I forced the words out.
Elias didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked down at his hands, turning them over like they were foreign to him. "Everything is so loud," he murmured. "So sharp. I can feel things I shouldn't be able to feel."
Magnus approached then, his face lit with triumph. "He's awakening," he announced, his voice heavy with satisfaction.
I rounded on him, my anger flaring. "What did you do to him?"
Magnus raised an eyebrow, unfazed. "I did exactly what you begged me to do. He's alive, isn't he?"
"This isn't life!" I shouted, gesturing toward Elias. "Look at him! This isn't who he was!"
Elias turned his gaze to Magnus, his golden eyes narrowing. "You used me," he said, his voice low and sharp.
Magnus's smug expression faltered. "I gave you power," he said, defensive. "You're more than you ever were before."
Elias stood, his movements fluid yet somehow unnerving. There was a presence about him now, something commanding and otherworldly.
"You didn't give me anything," Elias said, stepping toward Magnus. "You took from me and twisted it into something else."
Magnus backed up slightly, but he tried to maintain his composure. "You're bound to the prophecy, Elias. You can't escape it."
Elias tilted his head, a faint, humorless smile playing on his lips. "Is that what you think?"
The air around us crackled with energy, and before I could react, Magnus was flung backward by an invisible force. He hit the ground hard, groaning as he struggled to sit up.
"Elias, stop!" I shouted, stepping between him and Magnus. "This isn't you!"
Elias looked at me then, and for a brief moment, his glowing eyes softened. "Ronan…" His voice wavered, but the cold edge returned almost immediately. "No. It's not me. Not anymore."
"You don't mean that," I said, my chest tightening. "You're still you. You're still mine."
He hesitated, the light in his eyes dimming slightly. "I feel it," he said, almost to himself. "The imbalance. The cracks. Everything is wrong, and I can fix it."
Magnus, still on the ground, sneered. "The prophecy is clear. Elias will either save or destroy us all. You can't stop it, Ronan."
I ignored him, focusing on Elias. "You don't have to follow any prophecy," I said, my voice desperate. "You can choose, Elias. You can choose us."
Elias shook his head slowly, his expression unreadable. "It's not about following it. It's about what's right. And I have to do what's right, even if it means leaving everything behind."
The words felt like a knife to my chest. "Don't do this," I whispered.
Elias stepped closer, his hand brushing against mine for just a second. "I have to," he said, his voice barely audible. "I'm sorry, Ronan."
And then he turned, walking away into the night, the glow of his power casting long shadows behind him. I stood frozen, the ache in my chest spreading until it felt like it might consume me.
He was alive, but I had never felt his absence more than I did in that moment.