Luke gasped for breathe as Fable dropped him in front of me, his tail curling, looking for something to wrap around. I waved my hand, using a current of wind magic to lift him to me. I took him in my arms, but his weight surprised me, and he slid down until just his head rested in my lap. He stirred slightly, but didn’t wake. The outside of his soul had mostly calmed, but I could sense the power seething within.

"I’ll give you some space," Elinore said, giving me a knowing smile. "Call for me if you need anything."

I gave her a grateful nod and focused on Luke, brushing his hair from his face. His scar was thin and pale. I’d always wondered about it, but he’d never let me heal it. It didn’t impact his vision or anything, but I didn’t like the idea of carrying around that kind of reminder. Then again, all of my scars had been from suffering. His was a reminder of his sister. Of his mission. At the very least, he’d let me heal his corruption. It would be selfish of me to take this, too.

Luke’s eyes fluttered, and he let out a groan. His hand rose, pressing to his chest. I stroked his cheek, and his eyes focused on me, hazy with pain.

"Are you alright?"

He shook his head, coughing. His hand on his chest curled into a fist, a speckle of blood wetting his lips. "Damn, it hurts. What the hell was that? I’ve never taken a soul like this!"

I flinched at the roughness in his voice.

"Sorry," he muttered, his tail finding mine, rubbing against its length. "Didn’t mean to curse. It wasn’t at you."

I forced a small, tight smile. "It’s fine, Luke. I’ve spent more time around soldiers than not, I think."

"How are you holding up?"

I shook my head, running a hand through his hair. He shivered as I traced the seam of his horn, finding where it broke from his scalp.

"As well as can be expected. Emlica’s sending the hordes through the ley lines right now. With the lantern, she’s holding five conduits open. It’ll be an hour before she can open the rest."

"Too long, but I suppose it’s better than nothing." He shifted, trying to sit up, but I rested a hand on his chest. He stared at it before a smile touched his lips, and he relaxed. "Thank you. It’s...nice. I wouldn’t mind resting like this more often."

"Luke!" I turned my head, cheeks coloring. "Don’t say things like that."

He chuckled softly. "Worth it, seeing you get all bashful. Been a while since I’ve had that chance."

My lips twitched, and I fought back a smile. It didn’t last long, and I sighed, my hand coming to rest on his cheek.

"You’re going to leave, then?" I whispered, a tremor entering my voice.

He swallowed hard, not quite meeting my gaze. "That was the plan. We both agreed to it."

I didn’t know why he brought himself into it by saying ’we.’ Of course he would leave. He was only here because I begged him.

Korra’s words rang in my mind, and I bit my lip. My fingers curled in his hair. Luke must have sensed my tension, because he looked at me. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, but then closed as he thought better of it.

"Um, Luke...?"

He must have heard my whisper, soft and nervous as it was, but he didn’t answer. My tail twitched, flicking away from his and then back again. His eyes screwed shut, and my heart sank. He wasn’t even going to let me ask?

It was then that I noticed a burning sensation on the tips of my fingers and an uncomfortable heat against my thighs. Luke shuddered, curling up slightly, and I gasped as his tail dragged against him. It burned like fire. His entire body was hot, radiating waves of heat no less intense than the fiery streams of lava.

He clawed out of my lap, panting as he rose to one knee, but couldn’t go higher. I clutched my hands in my lap to keep from reaching him, the waves of heat threatening my wards. His soul glowed like a second sun within his chest, making it impossible to look at him directly.

Thick curls of curse magic rose from the ground like fog, circling me and every other soul in the cavern. I flared my aura, filling it with Adaptive Resistance to counter, keeping the worst of it local to the two of us.

Luke’s face twisted as he doubled over, clutching himself, a low hiss escaping his lips. I rose, taking a step toward him, but Fable’s tail swished around me, drawing me back. I pushed it aside, running to him, taking his hands. My wards dulled it enough that they didn’t burn, but they seared hot to the touch. It was nothing compared to the sunpurge.

"Luke, what’s happening?" I asked.

He couldn’t answer, choking on his own breath. But I hadn’t really needed him to. I could see the truth playing out in his soul.

"You’re going to be alright," I said, easing him to the ground again. I hoped I sounded more convinced than I felt. "You’re just breaking through. Don’t fight it."

"That’s impossible," he growled through gritted teeth. "I’ve absorbed shard after shard. Nothing pushed me over the edge."

"I know, but...it’s happening. Please, just relax. You have too much infernal mana built up inside you. It’s conflicting with the realm’s inheritance. That’s why it hurts so much."

"You have no idea."

His words stung, but I shook my head. "I do, Luke. I do. I know exactly how much it burns. That feeling of being torn apart from the inside out."

"Then do something!"

I shook my head, biting my lip. Hard. Enough to taste blood. "I can’t. I can purge the infernal mana, but it would ruin everything. Maybe even cripple you. You can do this. Just....look at me. You can do it!"

For a brief moment, his eyes cleared, focusing on me. His hand rose, cupping my cheek. I returned his gaze, fighting the urge to jerk away.

"I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to," he breathed.

My heart skipped a beat. The heat that flooded my cheeks had nothing to do with his hand.

The moment passed as abruptly as it had come, and his arm dropped to his side. Another wave of curses swarmed around me, this time seeping past Adaptive Resistance. My vision swam as they latched on, drawing mana and strength from my body and soul. My grip on him went limp, and my aura wavered. The entire room grew dim, my eyes heavy and muscles weak. I just needed to sleep, to give in to the thick, oily power, and--

"Child, focus!" Emlica’s sharp voice pierced the gloom. "You’re fading!"

I jumped, startled to awareness. I tightened my grip on Luke, drawing deeply on the warmth of Adaptive Resistance burning in my soul. I narrowed its focus, concentrating purely on the tendrils of darkness that sought to drain me dry. They whithered where the golden light fell, and I took a shaky breath.

Like a tide, Luke’s curses rose and fell, mirroring the pulse of mana within his soul. Slowly, minute by minute, he strengthened, and my fight grew more desperate. Fable and Borealis pressed against me, lending me their strength, but as surely as he grew, I became weaker. The conduits of Adaptive Resistance became swollen, gorged on excess mana, and just like against Lusha, began to fail.

Luke wasn’t looking any better. His skin was ashen gray, his muscles spasming violently. Erratic threads of Divine and Infernal mana arced around him like lightning, leaving scorch marks on my dress and skin. His chest rose and fell irregularly, growing weaker with every breath.

And then suddenly, everything went quiet, save for the thudding of my heart. A second passed, and he didn’t stir, not even to breath. And then another, and then another.

"Keep fighting," I choked, glaring through a blur of tears. "You can’t die like this. You can’t leave me!"

I grabbed his hand, squeezing it as tight as I could. Hope flared in my heart as his hand tightened, and his eyes flickered. Light surged within his soul, his aura blazing to life. I choked as my defenses vanished like paper, a crushing weight pressing down on my chest. I couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, couldn’t even breath.

Dark tendrils of curse mana rose from the ground, solid and substantial against the wispy curses of his aura before. They slithered across my helpless body, feeling heavy and slimy, though they left no residue behind. But they also didn’t attack. They just...explored. Like they were alive. Bile rose in my throat, my chest tightening with fear.

"Xiviyah..."

My name escaped Luke’s lips, and his eyes fluttered, sliding open to slits. He blinked slowly, the curses froze, then retreated. The pressure faded with his aura, and I sagged, panting heavily, my tail lashing back and forth.

"Luke!" I cried, throwing my arms against him.

My muscles burned in protest, but I didn’t care, hugging him fiercely. He was motionless for a moment before he embraced me back, soft and gentle, like he was afraid of hurting me.

"You’re hurt," he whispered, raw and ragged. "You’re burned all over, and your soul...?"

"I don’t care." I held back a sob, looking up at him, my eyes wavering with tears. "What’s wrong? Why won’t you hold me? You almost died!"

"You answered yourself, then." He chuckled, wincing slightly. I didn’t look away, and he let out a sigh, slowly tightening his grip. Too slowly. "I’m sorry, it’s just...I’ve never felt so much power before. I didn’t expect it to...I feel like I could crush a boulder just by bumping into it."

I giggled, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Just hold me. I can’t think of a better way to die than smothered in a hug."

"Joking? You? at a time like this?"

I nodded, relaxing against his chest, my head nestled under his chin. "I-I’m sorry. I was so scared. But then...you came back."