Chapter 73

꧁༺ 𝓒𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓪 ༻꧂ /Author

Hey Astral Souls

꧁༺ 𝓒𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓪 ༻꧂ /Author

Let’s get started

The air in the warehouse is thick with the stench of burning wires and the lingering hum of dissipated energy. Zeph crouches beside her—this unknown female, this impossible echo of Zaira—his hand still gripping her arm, grounding himself in the fact that she’s alive. The machine lies in ruins behind them, its once-pulsing core now dark and lifeless. Sparks fly from broken wires, the occasional crackle breaking the heavy silence. Dorian’s lifeless body lies crumpled nearby, a dark pool of blood spreading beneath him. Yet Zeph can’t bring himself to look at the corpse. His attention is locked on her.

Zephyrus Valtieri/Night Reaper/ML

(his voice low, raw)You’re still with me.

She blinks up at him, her breathing shallow but steady. Slowly, she pushes herself to sit, her movements sluggish. The faint glow that had surrounded her during the machine’s collapse is gone, but her presence feels more… solid now. More real.