The world exploded.
Not physically or magically.
The crystal's power met Seraphine's Binding in a collision that made reality itself scream.
Light and darkness warred where my hand pressed against her chest, neither willing to give ground.
I felt Seraphine trying to pull away.
Felt her panic as she realized what I'd done.
But I didn't let go.
My fingers locked around the crystal, pressing it harder against her.
The magic flowing through us both was excruciating, like being torn apart at the molecular level and reassembled wrong.
"What have you done?" Seraphine shrieked.
"Ending you!" I screamed back.
The binding spell was unraveling.
I could feel it falling apart, the carefully woven threads of magic snapping one by one.
But it wasn't stopping.
Even as it broke, the moment
