The heart of Vellichor was dying. 

Destruction ate at the god of creation like a plague. Tendrils of darkness reached for him as the gateway behind him sealed shut, locking him away from Sannir. Dust scattered at his feet, cut off from Orisis as if it were a limb severed from its body.

The strength Adoni had displayed before his soldiers—the fire and light he’d cast across Orisis—was fleeting. The more his brother created, the more Vellichor rebelled. The more Orisis took, the more Adoni lost. Power was finite.

The soul of Vellichor was alive with power.

Adoni’s knees hit the ground with a crack that echoed across the empty halls of the Dwelling of Dragons. The sanctuary that had been brimming with colorful beasts and echoing with their calls just hours before was now cold and barren—the dragons trapped within the confines of Vellichor because of the loss of the Pass. Wide pillars lined a vacant chamber. Vaulted ceilings and golden archways sat in silence.

A gruff sob escaped Adoni’s lips. The weakness he’d kept at bay gripped him with a force like the jaws of a thousand amphipteres, crushing his body and spirit in a way that only Orisis’ darkness could.

He pressed his eyes shut, his hands clawing at his chest plate as its weight became overbearing. He saw the young commander in his mind’s eye—a soldier who must be hurting as much as the god. Kyler Caligari did not deserve the fate his ancestors had given him.

But Adoni did not have balance, so neither did his soldiers.

Quick footsteps resounded across the hall, mingling with the clatter of armor as a figure knelt at Adoni’s side and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

“Orisis?”

Adoni nodded, sucking a painful breath. “He’s left Sannir. For now.”

“The balance—”

“It’s tipped too far,  Eliab.” Adoni lifted his head, meeting the face of his chosen general, an elf whose loyalty could not be broken. The soldier who became a son, so cherished that he’d ascended beyond death and destruction, earning a place of honor beside the god.

Concern etched across Eliab’s sharp features. Always a protector.

For a thousand years, Sannir believed themselves above destruction. The elves, in all their pride and arrogance, did not see the war that raged beyond their kingdom. They were blind to the imbalance that plagued Vellichor, hovering at their borders, lurking for a chance to strike. Impure magic that should not exist sprung up like weeds across the realm, and the balance of light and darkness tilted off its axis. But the elves saw none of it. The Pass was their shield and Adoni their warden.

Time revealed that the elves of Sannir did not need Orisis, for they brought destruction upon themselves time and time again. The beings that once stewarded their magic with revrence began to view it as a prize they’d won instead of a gift. One after the next, each general that replaced Eliab became consumed by lust for power. Many gave up their position and abandoned their kingdom, following whispers of darkness that falsely promised something greater beyond the Dragon Pass.

Adoni hoped Uriah might be different. He’d approved of the dragon’s decision to appoint the vibrant young soldier as general, convinced that Uriah would at last reset the realm and return Adoni’s balance.

He was wrong. None were untouched by destruction. With patience and plotting, Orisis won their war after all.

Eliab’s grip tightened slightly, reminding Adoni of his presence. “What now?” he asked lowly.

Adoni swallowed, struggling to speak. “Your bloodline persists. Balance can still be reached. Just not by me.”

Eliab set his jaw. “I saw the fear in Orisis’ eyes. You scared your brother.”

A tight smile tugged at Adoni’s lips. “He would not fear me if he knew how false that strength is.”

“He doesn’t know.”

“Eventually, he will.” Adoni forced himself to stand, brushing off Eliab’s attempts to help him up. His legs ached, and exhaustion clung to his bones. He feared that, if the need arose, he could not feign resilience a second time. Orisis would see through his façade. “Sannir will retaliate, but without the Pass, my magic cannot assist them. They are on their own.”

Every time he blinked, he saw that broken soldier, draped in scales of emerald and bathed in the dust of Tophet. Adoni had almost faltered in that moment, almost let himself show Kyler what destruction had done to him, but his resolve remained. His soldiers needed hope, and he’d given them every fragment he had left.

“Orisis won’t reach you.” There was a confidence in Eliab’s voice that Adoni did not share. “But if he does, I will fulfill my oath.”

Adoni placed a gentle hand on Eliab’s shoulder, meeting the eyes of his only confidant. “I know, Eliab.”

He hoped they would never reach that point.