#lofab

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Elain hadn’t moved in what felt like an eternity, the shock of what–of who–stood before her pulsing through every fibre of her being.

Aldric Vanserra tilted his head, examining her with that same terrifying focus Eris had shown. But where Eris had been suspicious, Aldric seemed merely... curious.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” he remarked, studying her with interest.

That’s because I have, she thought to herself. Eventually, she found the strength to breathe his name aloud. “Aldric?”

His brows drew together. “Do I know you?”

"No," Elain said quickly. "No, I just–I've heard of you. From Sevan." A lump formed in her throat as she recalled all the times his twin’s eyes had grown distant or glittered, depending on the nature of the story he was telling.

But Aldric wasn’t a story now. He was painfully, excruciatingly real.

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Eris woke the next morning in stages, each sense returning to him out of order. He reached across the bed, still half-dreaming, seeking warmth, but his hand found only cold sheets and the lingering ghost of Elain’s scent. He frowned, eyes still closed, and swept his arm wider. Nothing. How odd.

He cracked his eyes open. The morning was sullen and grey, rain still clattering against the windows, the storm's aftermath thick in the air. He rolled to her side of the bed only to find it vacant, the imprint of her body cool to the touch.

She must have risen early. The thought didn't quite settle the unease prickling at the base of his skull, but he pushed it aside. She'd been restless last night, haunted by something she wouldn't name. Some fresh air would probably do her good.

Eris knuckled the sleep from his eyes and stretched, preparing to rise and track her down, maybe insist on taking breakfast in bed, when something else registered. His magic hummed beneath his skin, full and thrumming with power. All of his magic. Including the small piece he always kept reserved, always burning quietly in the background, ready to warm Elain if she needed it. Ready to find her in the dark.

That tiny flame… it had returned to him.

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"You can't break a mating bond!"

"I might not be able to," Eris said, his gaze boring into Lucien's, "but the son of a spell-cleaver might."

Silence fell between them, heavy and charged. Lucien's face went slack with shock as he processed Eris’s words. “What did you just say?”

"You heard me." Eris kept his voice level, though his heart hammered against his ribs. "Helion's blood runs in your veins. His power. If anyone could break a mating bond, it would be you."

Lucien staggered back as if physically struck. "You can't be serious." At Eris’s confirming silence, he continued. “Breaking a mating bond isn't like snapping a twig, Eris! Even if I could—which is a massive if—the damage it could do to both of us..." He dragged his hands through his hair. "You’d put my sanity on the line, possibly my life–Elain’s life–and what, just hope it all works out in the end?”

“Hope is all I have left, Lucien!” Eris snarled, flames licking between his fingers as his control slipped. "I would trade places with her in a heartbeat if I could. I would walk into that lake myself right now if it meant she could come home. Do anything, give anything–my throne, my magic, my life… But I can't reach her. I can't save her. And it's killing me.” His voice broke on the last word, the flames around his hands guttering out as quickly as they had appeared, leaving only wisps of smoke curling from his fingertips.

Lucien's anger seemed to deflate at that, replaced by a bone-deep weariness that Eris recognised all too well. They were both exhausted, stretched thin by grief and desperation. He sank into the nearest chair, shoulders slumping. "I know," he said quietly. "I know you would. I'm sorry."

"No, you're right to question it. To question me." He sighed and took the seat opposite. "This plan is insane. It risks too much. Too many people I care about. I hate asking this of anyone.” Lucien had already suffered enough loss for several lifetimes. First his lover, then his eye, then his place in Spring, his mate….. Now he was being asked to risk Vassa. It wasn’t fair. None of this was fair. “Of you, most of all.”

Silence settled between them once more, heavy but no longer hostile. Lucien ran a hand over his face. "This is all so fucked.”

Eris’s lips quirked in a humourless smile. “Which part, exactly?”