I was blazing—burning—consumed by fury.
The goddess's power swelled inside me, tangled with my desperate will to live and to save Talon. I shot through the sky, fire trailing behind me. This wasn't all me. I could feel her presence guiding me, urging me forward. If anything, I admired her unbent resolve. She doesn't overthink. She acts. Once she decides, she follows through. Stubborn. Unyielding. Strong-willed. I felt it pulse through every part of my being.
Then I saw him.
Talon—helpless, beaten, barely clinging to life.
My rage exploded.
The peak ignited beneath me. These puny creatures. I would kill them all. Burn them slowly. Let them suffer.
The colony of bats vanished in an instant—reduced to ash. Some tried to escape, their bodies burning as they fled. They never stood a chance. Fireballs tore through the air, sealing every path down the mountain. I scorched the land until nothing remained.
Then I stopped.
Don't overdo it.
Something caught my eye.
One bat remained—the most arrogant, the most foolish of them all—using Talon as a shield once again.
How dare he?
After all the pain they inflicted on him and his flock, this coward still hid behind him.
I descended slowly. The rock beneath my feet melted with every step. The bat trembled uncontrollably.
"Release him," I said calmly. "Then maybe—just maybe—I will spare you."
He obeyed.
He tried to flee, but fire encircled us. I lifted my hand. Flames licked his wings. His scream split the air.
"I beg you! Please! I was only following orders!" he cried. "It was our ruler—Kairo—and Vera! They told us to find you, to destroy everything in our path!"
I looked at him without expression.
"I begged too," I said quietly. "And my pleas never reached you. So why should yours reach me?"
The sensation inside me throbbed—too much, too intense. I needed to end this quickly before it swallowed me whole.
He collapsed, shrieking as flames crawled up his arms, begging me to end it.
"Go," I finally said. "Return to Vera. Tell her what you saw here. Send her my gratitude for waking me up." My voice hardened. "Tell her I'm ready. She'd better strike before I come for her."
He nodded frantically and fled, screaming in pain.
Only then did I turn to Talon.
Tears blurred my vision as I knelt beside him. His breathing was steady.
Thank goodness.
I reached out, still burning, and touched his silver-white hair, his bloodied face. The fire didn't harm him—as if it knew he mattered to me. I cried openly.
He opened his eyes, glistening, and smiled.
"Why are you crying?" he murmured. "You did well. I was right about you. I chose you… always."
Even broken, even near death, he was magnificent.
He cupped my face and kissed my cheeks. My tears fell onto him like melting crystals, and his wounds closed beneath my touch. Every cut healed as my hands traced his body. I gathered him into my arms, cradling him in warmth. Slowly, my fire quieted, then vanished.
I stayed with him until he could stand. He wrapped his glorious wings around us, shielding me. His lips traced my skin—my neck, my shoulders, my arms—leaving devotion in every place he touched. I could feel how deeply he worshiped me.
It was raw. Pure.
Then that unbearable sensation surged through me again.
No.
I was weak—too weak to resist it.
I had spent everything I had. I needed him. I needed this. The goddess wasn't wrong. There was no stopping it—the hunger, the ache, the overwhelming love begging to be released.
So I let it loose.
I kissed him back—wild, sweet, desperate. A desire this world could never understand.
I straddled him, pulling him close, wrapping myself around him. His low moans made me hungrier. I pressed my fingers into his back, answering every kiss with equal intensity—rough, then tender. When I found his lips again, I claimed them fully.
I was starving.
When we finally parted, he was utterly exhausted, his expression peaceful, as if he had tasted heaven itself. He slipped into sleep.
I felt full. Recharged.
I brushed his hair aside and watched him breathe, safe.
And then the guilt hit me.
Why do I love him as deeply as I love Aron, Rocco, and Gideon?
This isn't right.
This kind of love—the goddess's love—isn't acceptable to me. I want to give myself to one, not many.
I have a conscience.
She doesn't.
I have control.
She doesn't.
I can feel her limitless love—but why can't she feel my guilt? My pain?
Is it because I'm human?
Because I'm aware?
It isn't fair.
I cried silently, staring at Talon—safe, content—while my heart fractured.
"I'm so sorry," I whispered.
Then a thought formed.
What if I endure this alone?
Disappear from this world. Hide. Never attach. Never hurt anyone again because of me.
I can survive. I have her power.
Sienna, you're clever, I told myself. Two steps ahead.
I stood, kissed Talon one last time, dressed myself in a blink—
And vanished into the wooden void.