The chamber fell silent.
Not peaceful—
but the kind of silence that follows a scream too enormous to fully disappear.
Elena kept her arms around Leon until his shaking eased even slightly. His breath was shallow, uneven, each inhale trembling as if torn from him by force. The entity's attempt to invade him had drained more than strength— it had taken something deeper, something she couldn't name yet.
"Elena…"
His voice rasped, barely audible.
"You shouldn't… have stayed."
"And leave you to that thing?" She pressed her forehead to his. "Never."
His eyes fluttered open— red-rimmed, unfocused, still tinged with darkness crawling along the edges of his pupils.
He looked like he was fighting to stay himself.
"Elena," he whispered, "you don't understand. If the bond weakens again, if it forces its way back— I won't be able to stop it next time."
"We won't let it get to that," she said, softer now but firm.
He tried to push away from her, but his arms shook violently, and he sank back against her with a frustrated growl.
"I'm— not used to feeling this powerless," he admitted, voice cracking. "Not since I was—"
He stopped.
She heard it.
The slip.
"Since you were what?" she pressed gently.
His jaw tightened, eyes closing.
A shadow passed over his expression— something old, painful, buried.
He wasn't ready to say it yet.
And she wasn't going to force him.
Before either of them could speak again, the torches flickered violently. A pulse of cold rolled through the chamber, brushing their skin like fingers dragging across their spines.
Leon stiffened instantly.
"It's probing the bond again," he whispered, barely breathing. "Looking for another crack."
Elena scanned the room, heart pounding.
The invisible pressure pressed into her ears, into her skull, whispering through the dark.
"Let him go…"
"No," Elena hissed. "You don't get to take him."
Leon's hand clutched her sleeve weakly.
"It's close. It wants me because the seal cost too much. I'm exposed— vulnerable."
He swallowed hard.
"Too vulnerable."
Elena shifted, lowering him gently until his back rested against the cold stone wall. He let out a shaky exhale, as if even that tiny movement cost him everything he had left.
"You need to move," he murmured. "Get farther away before it—"
"I'm not leaving you."
The words left her like a vow.
He opened his eyes again, fixing on her with a strange look— fear, awe, and something she couldn't define.
"Elena… you don't understand the danger you're in."
"I don't care," she said, fierce and certain. "We face this together."
Before he could reply, the chamber shuddered—
subtle at first, then harder, the ground trembling under their bodies.
The entity wasn't simply pushing.
It was digging.
Trying to claw its way through the remnants of the bond Leon had severed.
Leon's breath hitched— not in fear, but in agony. His hand flew to his chest as if something inside him was being squeezed.
"Elena—" He choked out, "it's— pulling on me. Through the wound the seal left."
She gripped his face, forcing him to look at her even as his eyes dulled with pain.
"Leon. Listen to me. Stay with me."
His chest heaved. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"If it pulls any harder… it'll drag me under."
"No," she breathed, sliding her hands to his shoulders. "No, I won't let that happen."
"Elena…"
His voice broke.
For the first time, truly, she saw him afraid.
Not of the entity.
But of losing control.
Of losing himself.
Of harming her.
"Elena," he whispered again, "tie me to you. Anchor me. I can't— hold it back alone."
Her breath caught.
"How? What do you mean?"
His trembling hand cupped the side of her neck.
"With your voice… your touch… your presence. Just— stay close. Don't let me slip."
She nodded immediately.
"I'm here. I'm right here."
He exhaled shakily as she leaned closer, her forehead touching his. Their breaths mingled in the cold air.
The entity's pressure surged— furious, forceful.
Leon's body tensed as it tried again to worm its way through the broken bond. He squeezed his eyes shut, teeth gritted as a low growl tore from his throat.
"Elena— hold on to me—"
"I am," she whispered, gripping him tighter. "I am."
She didn't let go.
Not even when the floor cracked.
Not even when the torches went out.
Not even when the darkness closed around them, thick and suffocating.
She held him.
And he held on.
Barely.