Inside the cave, silence had returned. It wasn't a peaceful quiet. It was the kind of quiet that made your ears ring. Noel sat slumped against the cold stone wall. Her head was tilted back, her eyes shut tight. The blood on the side of her head had dried. She hadn't moved an inch since Isabel dragged her in here. She hadn't woken up. Isabel sat across from her, her knees pulled up to her chest. She listened. Just a few minutes ago, the outside of the cave sounded like the end of the world. There were loud explosions, the screeching of monsters, and the crackling of a fire that felt like it would melt the rock walls. Now, all of that was gone. The fire was completely gone. Isabel noticed the sudden shift in the air. The intense heat that had been pushing into the cave disappeared. It was replaced by a cold breeze. She could hear the return of the wind whistling through the jagged rocks outside. She stood up. She looked at Noel. The spear girl was still breathing, her chest rising

Cassian adjusted his stance. He held the Trident loosely at his side and looked at the Devil. He knew he couldn't handle the Devil at his old level. He needed more power. He had been fighting like the hollow version of himself. But he wasn't hollow anymore. He was whole now. He wasn't tired, and his essence wasn't draining. Every muscle in his body felt like it was plugged directly into the sky. He touched his chest. His heart beat calmly. The Phoenix soul felt complete inside him, like it was speaking to him, and he understood every single word. The warmth spread through his ribs, melting away the freezing cold of the mountain peak. It was a steady pulse, hitting like a second heartbeat. For ten years, there was only silence in his chest. A cold, echoing void that made him fake every smile. Now there was music. Pure, raging, electric music. Cassian gripped his Trident tight and raised it high toward the dark sky. The clouds thundered even louder. Lightning poured down on Cassia

A blinding white light erupted from the center of the valley, illuminating the ash covered sky for miles.The light didn't explode. It imploded. The blinding radiance squeezed inward with an agonizing, high-pitched hum, pulling every last thread of the Devil's suffocating aura into a single, dense point.Then, with a soft, hollow clack, the light vanished.A small, heavy object fell onto the shattered ground, bouncing once against the scorched rock before rolling to a stop in the dirt.Cassian stood a few yards away, his knees shaking so violently he could barely keep himself upright. Blood dripped from his chin, staining the ragged collar of his shredded robes. Every single breath felt like broken glass dragging through his lungs. His ribs were cracked, his left shoulder was snapped, and his stamina was completely drained.He stared at the object lying in the dark ash.Gathering the tiny sliver of strength he had remaining, Cassian forced his legs forward. He used the Thunder God Tr

Noel's eyes fluttered open.Heat hit her skin first, sharp and biting. She was lying on a hard floor. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and blinked away the blur in her vision. She was in a chariot, but it wasn't made of wood or iron. The frame, the wheels, the rails...it was all made of solid, burning fire.It was moving fast. She raised her head and looked over the edge. Outside, the landscape was nothing but an endless grey desert. There was no sun, no clouds, just a dull sky and miles of cracked, pale dirt kicking up behind the spinning wheels of flame. She looked forward. Dae stood at the front of the chariot. He had his back to her. He wasn't steering the horses. He wasn't holding any reins. He was just standing there, watching the empty horizon roll past."You're awake," Dae said. He didn't turn around. His voice carried easily over the rush of the wind.Noel touched her head. Her fingers brushed against dried blood in her hair. The last thing she remembered was the cav

The inn was loud and crowded.Men sat at round wooden tables, talking over one another, clinking their mugs, and playing card games. The noise filled the room, making it hard to hear anything else.Lucian pushed the front door open and stepped inside. Isabel followed right behind him, keeping close to his shadow.Lucian scanned the room. He didn't have to look for long. Standing near the bar, watching the door like a hawk, was Garrett.He looked older. Tired. His coat was rumpled, and there was a half-empty mug on the counter beside him that looked like it had been sitting there for hours. He had been waiting. Every day. Watching the door for them.When Garrett saw them, he didn't move. He was shocked and so he stared.Lucian walked over to him, his boots tapping steadily on the floorboards. Isabel stayed a step behind.Garrett's eyes moved over Lucian's torn clothes, the dirt, the dried blood. Then he looked at Isabel. The quiet maid who used to serve tea at Starlight Castle was stan