Chapter 145: Call of the Stars
The Western University, once a revered sanctuary for mages, had fallen to ruin. The Infernal Dragon shattered the sky with thunderous roars, announcing its triumph from its perch atop the Heart of the West. The blazing fires of the city reflected from the cracked facets of the massive crystal, which hovered askew in the air beneath the monster’s tremendous weight.
Broken cries and screams floated across the peaks, rife with pain and horror. I stared helplessly at the blazing city, tracing the contours of the once proud towers and structures of the university. Elise’s scorched corpse drifted limply before my eyes, hanging in the air as from a gallows.
Guilt clawed at my insides; why hadn’t I warned her? Why hadn’t I said anything? Her blackened lips condemned me in my own voice, a thousand times more real than any illusory figure in the nightmares I’d suffered.
The phantom scattered into ash, joining the endless sea of smoke in the sky, as Fyren gripped my arm. His fingers tightened painfully as he forced me to meet his gaze. With a start, I realized he was glowing. Illusory flames flickered behind his irises, and he radiated an incredible sense of power.
"Xiviyah. Do you want to help them?"
"I-I..." Though his fingers dug into my flesh, I was drawn to the crimson pallor of the flaming city behind him once more.
He gave me a gentle shake. "Do you want to help them?"
I groaned, squirming in his grip. "Fyren, you’re hurt-"
"Do you want to help them?"