Chapter 10 - The Dawn of Bells
The silence that followed was heavy and clean. The yellow sulfur smoke had vanished, replaced by the crisp, cold air of a normal winter morning.
Elias opened his eyes, finding himself lying on the cold basalt floor of the temple. His body was sore, his coat ruined, but the burning heat was gone. He rolled over, his hands searching the dark until they found a soft, warm form beside him.
"Seraphine?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
The woman beside him stirred. She pushed herself up onto her elbows, her long dark hair falling around her shoulders in soft, silken waves. For the first time since he had met her, there was no wood, no iron, no visor between them.
The dawn light was just beginning to filter through the shattered roof of the temple, a soft, golden beam that caught the high curve of her cheekbones, her straight nose, and her lips—which were parted in a small, trembling breath. But it was her eyes that made Elias’s breath catch in his throat. They weren't green or black; they were a deep, clear violet, like the sky right after the sun sets, completely free of the terrifying cosmic fire.
She looked down at her hands, then up at the golden sunlight warming her skin. She didn't burn. She didn't fade. She was just a woman, beautiful and alive, standing in the morning air.
"It’s gone," she whispered. Her voice was single now, a sweet, clear melody that belonged entirely to her. "Elias... I can see the daylight."
Elias smiled, reaching up to gently trace the edge of her jawline. "I told you we’d take that box off your head."
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King Odran sat a few feet away, his hands covered in soot, his silver hair wild. He looked at his daughter, then at the young prince who had risked everything to save her. The old king slowly stood up, bowing his head in a silent gesture of surrender and profound gratitude. He had lost his weapon, but he had gotten his daughter back.
Outside the temple, the sounds of battle had ceased. The soldiers of Ardenfall and Bellavere had laid down their weapons, watching the black dome of the temple clear as the sun rose over the mountains.
