Kai and Meriel burst out of the collapsing tunnel into the bright afternoon daylight.

They sailed through the open air just as the Temple of Forgotten Stars finally imploded behind them.

A cataclysmic explosion of black starlight and swirling void energy tore the ancient architecture to pieces.

The mountain sitting right above the ruins groaned loudly and sank straight into the ground, burying the horrors forever under thousands of tons of stone.

Both men hit the grassy slope hard and rolled down the hill.

Kai stopped near a broken log and clutched the rough burlap sack securely against his chest. His ribs screamed in agony, and every breath felt like inhaling broken glass.

Meriel pushed himself up onto his hands and knees a few yards away.

Blood dripped steadily from his ruined mouth onto the green grass.

He gripped his heavy broadsword and used it to pull his battered body upright, then glared across the space between them, his eyes burning with a cold, relentless hatred.

"This isn’t finished," Meriel promised, spitting a mouthful of red saliva onto the ground.

He turned around and limped slowly into the surrounding city.

Kai watched him disappear between the tall trees as his own legs refused to move.

He was entirely too weak to chase his enemy, and his mana pool was empty.

Footsteps rushed through the tall grass a few seconds later.

Eliza dropped to her knees beside him and pulled him up by his shoulders.

Tears streamed down her pale cheeks as she checked his bleeding torso for fatal wounds.

She sobbed loudly in relief because he was actually alive, but Kai did not hug her back.

He felt completely cold inside. He just sat there and held the burlap sack tighter.

Blue text filled his vision with a chime.

[Title Acquired: Survivor of Fallen Stars]

[Devouring Sovereign Progress: 41%]

Kai stared at the floating windows until they faded away.

The rewards felt like a terrible insult because they cost him everything.

Night fell quickly over the quiet forest.

They set up a small camp a few miles away from the sunken mountain.

A warm fire crackled in the center of the clearing, but the heat completely failed to reach Kai.

He sat on a fallen log and stared blankly into the orange flames. The burlap sack rested carefully beside his boots.

Eliza sat across from him and wrapped a wool blanket around her shoulders.

She watched him with worried green eyes, tried to offer him a piece of roasted meat earlier, but he simply ignored her.

"I’m sending you back to your village tomorrow morning," Kai said suddenly. His voice was completely flat and devoid of any emotion.

Eliza froze and dropped her wooden cup.

"What are you talking about, Kai. We just survived that terrible place together, so we need to head to Thornwatch to resupply."

"I am not taking you anywhere," Kai replied, standing up from the log.

"You are going home."

He reached into his leather belt and pulled out a pouch of gold coins, then tossed it across the fire, and it landed right at her feet with a loud jingle.

He pulled a glowing silver ring from his pocket and threw it over, too.

"Take the money and hire a proper carriage in the next town," Kai instructed her coldly.

"That ring is a high-level protective artifact. It will cast a shield if anyone tries to hurt you on the road. Don’t take it off until you are safe behind your village walls."

Eliza stood up and kicked the gold pouch away.

Her face flushed with a mix of deep hurt and sudden anger.

"I am not leaving you. You are hurt and grieving, and you need someone to watch your back. Sera would want me to stay with you."

"Sera’s dead," Kai shouted.

He stepped around the fire and closed the distance between them in two quick strides, then grabbed Eliza by her upper arms and pushed her roughly backward until her spine hit the rough bark of a tall pine tree.

He pinned her there, pressing his body against hers to stop her from fighting back.

’I know it’s hurting her too,’ Kai thought to himself, looking down at her tear-filled eyes.

’But this is the only way to make her leave before I get her killed too.’

"I am not the same person you met in that stupid starting town," Kai told her, leaning down so his face was inches from hers.

"I am going to hunt Meriel down, and I am going to butcher him. I am going to burn entire cities to the ground if they get in my way. You are a soft person, Eliza. You do not belong on this path anymore."

"I don’t care," Eliza cried, grabbing the front of his ruined shirt.

"I love you. I am not afraid of the blood."

"You should be," Kai whispered harshly.

He grabbed both of her wrists and pinned them above her head against the tree bark, then looked at her trembling lips and felt his own heart breaking into a million pieces.

He refused to watch another woman die because of his own weakness.

Kai crashed his mouth down onto hers in a sudden, desperate kiss.

It was rough and entirely possessive, lacking any of his usual gentle care.

He kissed her like he wanted to devour her soul, bruising her lips and tasting the salty tears running down her cheeks.

Eliza gasped and kissed him back fiercely, tangling her fingers in his hair as she pressed her hips against him.

Kai broke the kiss and buried his face in the soft crook of her neck.

He breathed in the sweet scent of her skin, memorizing the feeling of her warm body against his own.

The heavy grief tore right through his chest, threatening to completely drown him.

"You are going home tomorrow," Kai murmured against her pulse, his voice cracking for the first time all night.

He squeezed her wrists tighter. "Stay alive for me, Eliza. Just go home and stay alive."

Eliza broke down into racking sobs.

She stopped fighting him and let her head fall against his chest, realizing he was serious.

Kai held her pinned against the tree in the quiet forest, letting her cry out her broken heart while he silently buried his own.