Elira slammed the sanctum door shut behind her, the sound echoing through the obsidian halls..Ravion was already there leaning against the archway like he'd been waiting.
"Did you enjoy bleeding for magic you barely understand?" he asked, arms folded, tone clipped.
"I'm still standing here, aren't I?" she snapped.
"Barely."
She rolled her eyes, "Don't start."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
He moved closer, "You want to act powerful? Then stop being stupid."
Her jaw clenched ,"You're not my master."
"No but I'm the one who's stuck with you when your recklessness explodes," he growled. "Do you even know what kind of magic you were channeling down there? You could've summoned something that eats souls, not teaches spells."
Her hands curled into fists. "Then stop barking orders and teach me unless all you know how to do is hover like, I'm some breakable little girl who will shatter at any moment."
"I know you're not fragile, that's what makes this worse!" he snapped. "You keep throwing yourself into danger like you've got something to prove. What is it, Elira? That you don't need anyone? That you're not scared?"
"I'm not."
"Liar."
"Isn't that exactly what you wanted?" she hissed. "A dangerous witch bound to your name? Or is it only okay when I behave and smile like a good little pet?"
His expression darkened.
"Careful," he said, voice like a blade.
"Why? Afraid I might say something you don't like?" She tilted her chin. "You keep acting like this bond is some great burden so why not break it if I'm such a problem?"
His eyes flared for a second, she thought he might actually do it.
But instead, he laughed a bitter, sharp and mocking one.
"If I could break it," he said coldly, "don't you think I would've by now?"
Silence.
Something cracked in her chest.
"You hate being stuck with me that much?"
He stared at her "I hate that I can't stop caring what happens to you."
The words landed like a slap, Elira blinked.
"What?" she whispered.
"I've seen witches die. Burned with kingdoms, screamed as their magic tore them apart. It never mattered." His voice lowered. "But you every time you bleed, every time you walk into danger without thinking, it makes me want to burn this realm down just to keep you standing."
Her throat tightened,"Then stop pushing me away."
He was close now too close.
"You make it hard not to," he said, "You fight me at every turn, you glare like you'd rather kill me than listen and gods help me, I like it."
The heat between them was no longer just magic, it was tension, hunger and fire.
She swallowed ,"You think being cruel is a form of protection?"
"I think keeping distance is safer than letting you under my skin."
She narrowed her eyes,"And what about you? Hiding behind your power, pretending none of this matters. What are you afraid of?"
His expression went cold, "Don't test me."
"Why not? You test me constantly."
"I'm trying to keep you alive."
"Then try treating me like an ally not your liability."
Ravion stepped closer, his voice dangerously low, "You want to be treated like an equal? Then act like it,stop throwing yourself into magic you barely control just to prove you're not the girl they left behind."
Her throat tightened, "That's exactly what I'm trying to prove."
Silence.
Something raw and unspoken passed between them.
Then he said, quietly, "You don't need to prove that to me."
Elira looked away, "You don't get it."
"I do," Ravion said, his voice unexpectedly soft, "You want to be more than what they made you feel. You want to be powerful enough they'll regret casting you out."
She didn't answer.
"You're getting there," he added. "But power without control gets witches killed or worse."
She faced him again, her expression unreadable, "So what are you going to chain me to your throne and 'train' me until I behave?"
His eyes sparked. "Is that what you think I want?"
"I don't know what you want," she admitted, voice quiet now. "One second you're pushing me away, the next you're acting like I'm the only thing keeping you sane."
His mouth opened then closed.
A beat passed.
"I don't know what I want either," he said, honestly. "But it's getting harder to pretend I don't care what happens to you."
Her breath caught.
That wasn't a threat it was a confession.
And it shook her more than any fight.
"Then stop playing games," she whispered, "Stop acting like this bond is some curse you can't shake."
He stepped closer, the heat between them rising with every breath.
"It is a curse," he said, "Because every time I look at you, I forget what I was before."
She could barely breathe and yet, her voice came out steady. "What were you?"
"Untouchable."
Their eyes locked the tension was unbearable.
Then she broke it.
With one sharp breath, she stepped back creating space between them, even as her magic still hummed toward him.
"This changes nothing," she said.
"No," he replied, voice low, "but it will."
Before she could question what that meant, he vanished into shadow.
But his voice followed anyway quiet, rough and honest.
"Elira…"
"You don't have to prove anything, not to me, not to anyone, you already survived more than most would."
She didn't respond, couldn't.
Elira stood alone in the hallway, heart racing, skin still flushed with heat that had nothing to do with the realm around her.
She told herself she hated him.
She told herself she wanted freedom.
But when his voice echoed in her mind rough, honest, dangerous she knew one thing for sure.
The fire between them wasn't fading, it was just beginning to burn, wild and far more dangerous than either of them was ready to admit.
Elira pressed a hand to her chest, trying to steady the pulse that wasn't just hers anymore.
Somewhere deep in the temple, the walls pulsed once, twice like a heartbeat echoing through stone.
And then… a voice whispered.
Not Ravion's.
Not hers.
"He's not the only one who heard you bleed."
The flames in the sconces flickered. The shadows in the corners twitched like they were waking up.
Elira turned sharply, heart in her throat.
But the corridor behind her was empty.
For now.