The face was Jason’s. The hood cracked away like old stone as molten light poured through the fractures, reshaping into the one she loved and lost.His jawline, his mouth, his eyes, except the eyes weren’t his. They burned gold, molten, endless.“Jason…” Aria whispered, her voice breaking. Her legs trembled, threatening to collapse beneath her.He didn’t blink. Didn’t breathe. His lips parted, and the abyss itself spoke through him.“The vessel is mine.”Chains rattled, the cavern shuddering as rivers of fire surged higher, spraying molten arcs across the air.“No,” she whispered, staggering forward, fire sparking weakly from her fingertips. “No, you’re not, this isn’t you. Jason, fight it!”His face twisted, not quite a grimace, not quite a smile. The gold in his eyes flickered, just for an instant, like a candle threatened by wind.Her heart lurched. There, he was still inside. The First Ember, wearing Jason’s body, strained against its bindings. The chains hissed, resisting, glowin

The hand of fire fell like a world-ending hammer. The heat was unbearable, scorching the cavern into molten rivers, the roar of flame drowning all sound.Aria couldn’t move. Her arms gave out, her chest cracked with each breath. She saw the shadow of the strike coming down, knew she had no defense, no escape.Her ember flickered once, weak and hollow. This is it. But then, Jason moved. He rolled, half-conscious, dragging his broken body over hers.His arms locked around her, shielding her with what little strength he had left. His back arched as the inferno crashed down. The world vanished in gold.When the fire cleared, they were still alive. Jason knelt over her, body trembling, his skin charred and burning, but alive. Somehow, impossibly, he had caught the strike.His hands pressed against the god’s massive palm, holding it aloft. Fire poured over him, into him, through him, but he didn’t break.His teeth bared, his voice ragged. “You don’t… touch her.”Aria’s vision blurred with t

Jason stared at his double. It wasn’t like looking in a mirror. It was worse. The other Jason’s smile was sharp, wrong, his eyes hollow pits of gold flame that stretched endlessly inward, like staring into the heart of a star. And that voice, his own voice, but twisted, resonant, godlike.“Why suffer, when you can rule?”Aria pulled closer to Jason, her fingers clutching his arm. Her nails dug into his burned skin, and he didn’t even flinch.His body was numb now. The fire had eaten his nerves. But her touch grounded him, dragged him back from the abyss for as long as he could hold.“Jason,” she whispered, voice shaking. “It’s not real. Don’t let him, don’t let it take you.”His double tilted its head, golden flames trailing like ribbons. “She lies. This is the truth. Look.”The burning horizon shifted. The world screamed. Cities collapsed in waves of fire. Oceans boiled away until only charred basins remained. Skies cracked open to reveal nothing but lightless void.Everywhere Jason

Jason opened his eyes to silence. Not the silence of peace. The silence of absence. No fire. No roar. No storm. No shadow. Only void.He sat up slowly, every muscle screaming, his skin cracked with light. Around him stretched an endless expanse of black glass, fractured and sharp, spreading forever in all directions. Above, no sky, no stars. Only darkness, yawning and absolute. And beside him, Aria.She lay still, her chest rising faintly, her body surrounded by faint silver light, flickering like a candle nearly extinguished.Jason’s heart lurched. He crawled to her, his hands trembling as he lifted her head into his lap. “Aria… Aria, wake up.”No answer. Her lips were pale, her breath weak. Jason’s throat tightened. He had brought her into this. She had leapt into his fire for him, risked everything, no, given everything, and now she was fading.“Please,” he whispered, his voice breaking. His forehead pressed to hers, his tears sizzling as they fell. “Don’t leave me. Not now. Not af