The earth kept shaking. A roar tore through the sky as dragons, monstrous and glowing with violet fire, circled above the school. The windows rattled, threatening to shatter again. Debris rained outside. Somewhere beyond, screams could be heard.
Jeremy turned from the window, horror etched across his face. "We can't fight this… not like this."
Ezekiel gritted his teeth, clutching Asher tighter. "Then we're not going to. We're leaving."
Asher's head shot up. "No! The school—everyone—if we run now, they'll all die!"
"We'll all die if we stay," Jeremy said, his voice shaking. "We're not abandoning them forever—we're buying time."
Ezekiel didn't wait for more arguments. "You're done bleeding for people who only see you as a weapon. Right now, you're ours to protect." Without waiting for permission, he hoisted Asher up onto his shoulder like a soldier carrying his wounded brother. "You're not dying here."
Asher struggled weakly. "Put me down, Ezekiel—!"
But Jeremy was already beside them, conjuring a glowing circle in the air, threads of blue light weaving into a portal.
Behind them, Sylvia approached, eyes wide with panic. "What about the students? What about the professors? We can't just leave them—"
Ezekiel looked back at her with fire in his eyes, pausing just at the edge of the portal. "You wanna stay, then stay. But I'm not losing him. Not now. Not again."
"You're abandoning them?"
"I don't know anymore, Sylvia," Ezekiel snapped, voice fraying. "Maybe they should save their damn selves for once. Because right now, the only person who matters to me is bleeding out in my arms."
Before Sylvia could respond, the portal swallowed them whole, vanishing in a burst of electric-blue light.
They reappeared in a glowing cavern bathed in crystalline light—walls of shimmering quartz, a gentle warmth humming through the air. It was quiet here. Peaceful.
Asher groaned as Ezekiel lowered him gently onto a smooth rock. His body was battered, but his spirit looked more broken.
Jeremy stepped forward, lips parted in awe at the sacred quiet of the place. "Where… is this?"
"Somewhere safe," Ezekiel said simply, still out of breath. "For now."
He turned back to Asher, crouching in front of him. "Before we go back… before we even think of fighting again—we get your powers back. That's the first priority."
Asher looked away. "There's nothing to get back. It's gone. I can't feel it. I'm just… empty."
Jeremy knelt beside him, his voice gentle but firm. "You wanna die like this? Let them win? Let Lamia win? No. Please, Asher… think about your life first. You matter to people. We need you. The world needs you."
Asher's hands clenched again, faint tremors running through his fingers. His voice cracked. "I know."
Ezekiel's arms wrapped around him suddenly, pulling him into a tight embrace against his chest. "Then stop trying to do this alone. We're here. We're not leaving."
Asher didn't hold back this time. His arms went around Ezekiel, his face buried against the taller boy's collarbone.
"I'm sorry," Ezekiel whispered. "For everything. For leaving you. For being too possessive and jealous."
"I hated that I couldn't be the only one who got to love you," Ezekiel admitted, his voice hoarse. "But now… I don't want to fight it anymore."
Asher's breath hitched, but he still didn't speak. Jeremy looked down, his eyes breaming with need.
Ezekiel raised a hand and cupped Asher's jaw, gently tilting his face until their eyes met. "Darling," he whispered. "I was a damn coward. And I don't care how broken you feel right now—we're going to fix it. Together. Even if it kills me."
Jeremy finally stepped closer, his hand resting lightly on Asher's shoulder.
Asher turned toward them both, lips parted, eyes filled with unshed tears. "Why do you still want me?" he asked, voice rough. "I'm useless now, dont forget that."
"You're not," Jeremy whispered, brushing a hand through Asher's tangled hair. "You're everything."
Ezekiel leaned in closer. "You think it's your power we love? We've seen you laugh. Cry. Rage. Break. And even then, you still burned brighter than the rest of us."
"I'm sorry too," Jeremy said quietly, reaching over and squeezing Asher's arm. "For being a dick back at the days. For pulling Rose your sister into things when all I wanted was you."
He leaned in, and without hesitation, kissed Asher gently—soft at first, testing if the moment was right.
It was.
Asher responded with a shaky breath, his hands fisting into Jeremy's shirt. The kiss deepened, carrying everything they couldn't say in words—grief, longing, guilt, hope.
Then Ezekiel leaned in too. "You're not going to carry this alone anymore."
He pressed his lips to Asher's neck, moving slowly, reverently, while Jeremy cupped Asher's cheek and kissed him again.
Asher gasped—soft and warm—his body arching just slightly between theirs. He didn't feel broken anymore. He felt… seen.
Cherished.
Held.
They pressed into him from both sides, lips exploring with a tenderness that wasn't about lust—it was about healing. Ezekiel's mouth moved to Asher's collarbone while Jeremy licked into his mouth with aching devotion. Their bodies molded around him, warm and solid, anchoring him back to the world.
Asher moaned, breathy and soft, letting his hands trace their faces, their hair. He was caught between them, not in a cage—but in something protective. Something safe.
He tilted his head back, eyes fluttering shut, overwhelmed by it all—the heat of them, the taste, the way their bodies told him without words:
You are not alone.
Not anymore.
Not ever again.