Damon’s POV

“Elric,” I muttered, my voice rough, carrying over the whispering trees. The mage stepped beside me, his posture careful, hands clasped behind his back, eyes sharp as always. “Did she...did the Priestess...say anything else? Anything that could give us a way out?”

Elric shook his head slowly, a somber weight in his eyes. “No, Damon. The prophecy is clear. One will fall. That is the only certainty. We cannot bend the threads. We can only… prepare.”

I ran a ...