Above Quinlan and Serika, the sky began to heal. The storm of corruption that Venthros had summoned dispersed like mist before morning light. With each passing heartbeat, the heavens cleared, the air stilled, and the world itself seemed to exhale.
Their quiet moment lingered a few precious seconds longer.
Then Serika's body gave a subtle shudder.
Her fiery aura flickered. It was bright one moment, then dimming like a dying hearth the next. A warning.
"Ah…" she breathed with a sheepish laugh. "That's my qi saying 'enough is enough. Let me rest finally.'"
Her cloak of fire that allowed them to hover in the air sputtered out. Gravity returned, once again announcing its dominion over their physical forms. But rather than plummet to the depths below, Serika flared what little remained of her strength, guiding their descent.
