The short walk to the vehicles carried the familiar silence of aftermaths. Jamey hummed, Alec yawned, and I slipped my arm through Seth's. He pulled me in, squeezing lightly. "Here's a prayer, our kids inherit your smarts and my appetite. Otherwise, I'll be working weekends just to feed you."

I tilted my head toward him, feigning thought. "Relax, saint. I'll make sure they inherit your patience too, God knows you'll need it."

Adrian walked on my right, close enough to catch the faint edge of Seth's protective glare. Even so, people on the street turned to stare as we passed, as though sensing that something not entirely of this world was moving among them.

For a heartbeat, no one spoke.

Then my gaze fell on Israel.

He started squirming in Elizabeth's arms.
At first, I thought he was just restless, but the movement wasn't random; it was desperate, sharp, like his tiny body was trying to warn us.

"Come on, Israel..." she whispered, rocking him from side to side, her voice frayed but soft. "...we're almost home, sweetheart."

But he wouldn't stop. The tremors in his small hands grew frantic. His face scrunched, not from hunger or fatigue; something unseen was clawing at him.

I reached for her arm. "Let me hold him."

She hesitated only a moment before handing him over. The moment his warmth touched me, my Flame stirred, golden light threading faintly along my arms. It brushed over him like sunlight reaching through clouds, and what I felt in that instant made my pulse quicken.

"Guys. Stop."
Too late.

Three men stepped into the road ahead, mountains of muscle wrapped in dark coats, their shadows stretching too far under the streetlights.

Elizabeth moved closer, her hand tightening on Israel's foot, her body half behind me, half in front of him, unclear whether she was shielding him or seeking protection for them both.
I turned, feeling the shift in the air, that quiet before something breaks. I met her gaze. "Hold him," I said, voice low but steady. "I need both hands free for whatever's coming."
She hesitated, then gathered Israel back against her chest, clutching him close, as if afraid the night itself might reach for him.

Alec's lightning flared before thought caught up to instinct. Seth and Adrian were beside me in a heartbeat, the air trembling as their power gathered.

Samantha squealed, pointing toward a young couple on the sidewalk. "We're in the open!"

Seth's voice cut through the tension. "Adrian, clear their memories. Get them out."

Adrian didn't argue. His aura shimmered faintly, and the couple blinked, turned, and walked away, smiling as if nothing existed behind them but quiet streets.

Samuel stepped forward, one hand on my shoulder, and a golden barrier bloomed around us, egg-shaped, radiant, alive. Samantha pulled Jamey into hers, sealing another dome of safety.

The only one still outside was Adrian, walking back toward us with deliberate calm.

"Take your sweet time, will you?" Jamey called, half laughing. "Those giants eyeing you might not wait to stomp first."

Alec snorted. "Good point." He blurred forward in a flash of blue light, grabbed Adrian by the collar, and shoved him behind Samantha's shield. "Be a good boy and stay."

Then the Breath moved. Seth's silver mist coiled outward, lunging at the men, only to hit something invisible and recoil in a ripple of force that shook the air.

The three men smiled. Not human smiles.

"Well," I muttered, glancing at Seth, "that's new."

He raised his arm, calling the Breath back with a flick. "Yeah. Which means we fight."

"Fight?" Jamey squeaked, ducking behind Samantha. "You mean those three? The ones built like bad decisions and gym memberships? How exactly are we supposed to fight that? Hard pass."

Alec rolled his neck, electricity crawling across his arms. "Like this."

Before Jamey could protest, Alec sprinted forward. His lightning coiled around his fist as he leapt, landing a flying kick square into one man's chest. The impact cracked like thunder. The brute didn't fall. He merely staggered back, grinning, a guttural sound crawling from his throat like gravel dragged across metal. His lip curled, baring teeth too sharp for any man. It was a snarl, or maybe a question. What was that?

"Ooh, that smile does not mean he's happy with you, Alec," Jamey said under his breath. "You just made him real mad."

Seth darted low, sweeping the second man's leg with precise force. The brute fell to one knee, but when Seth caught him by the neck, he hissed and recoiled, clutching his hand as if seared by unseen fire.

That's when I saw it.

Chains. Each man wore one, thick and black, gleaming faintly where strange runes pulsed. The air rippled around them like heat over open flame.

"Guys!" I shouted. "Their chains!"

I started forward, but Samuel's arm caught me. "Don't, Max."

"I'm not asking." I turned to Jamey. "Amplify Alec. Now."

Jamey's hands flared, golden light rippling outward. The surge hit Alec, making the air hum with living charge.

"Get the chains!" I shouted. "You're amplified!"

Alec vanished. Then he was beside me again, three amulets clutched in his hands. Smoke writhed within them like trapped breath.

The moment he looked down, pain flickered across his face. The amulets hissed, branding dark marks into his palms. He cursed, dropping them and kicking a steel bin. The sound echoed sharply, hollow and violent against the walls.

"Damn things burn," he muttered through clenched teeth.

I caught his wrist, turning him toward me. Without a word, I pressed my fingertip to my bottom lip, then brushed it across his scorched palms. A faint glyph shimmered beneath my touch, warm and soft, fading into his skin until the burns vanished.

He flexed his fingers, the tension easing. "Thanks," he murmured.

Before I could answer, Seth flinched beside me, glancing down at his hand. His skin was red where he'd touched the chained man.

"They burn us all," he said quietly.

I caught both his hands before he could pull away. The faint shimmer of my breath met his skin as I lifted each one and pressed a kiss to the back of it.
Golden warmth stirred between us, my glyphs awakening in answer to the bond we shared. The light seeped into his flesh, weaving through the burn until only smooth skin remained.
He looked down at me, the silver of his aura flickering soft against the gold. "That works better than any prayer I've heard."
I smiled faintly. "Then you've been praying wrong."

But the moment we turned, it was already happening.

The hollow bodies began to leak black mist. It rose slowly at first, unfurling like smoke discovering form. The air responded like a living thing, rippling, shuddering, recoiling from the corruption that bled into it.
For a breathless instant, everything seemed to slow. The mist climbed higher, coiling and expanding, and the atmosphere itself seemed to freeze, then shriek away as if in protest. The light dimmed. Dust lifted from the floorboards, trembling in place as though waiting for permission to fall.

"Max, get back," Seth ordered, stepping in front of me. Alec shifted his stance, lightning twitching beneath his skin. Samuel and Samantha closed ranks around Elizabeth, their bodies forming a living shield.

The mist trembled, sensing defiance. Then, with a sound like torn silk, it lunged, ribbons of shadow twisting with impossible speed. It swept toward Alec, hissed past him, then veered sharply for Jamey, who shrieked like a banshee and threw himself behind the nearest pillar.

The mist pivoted again, its motion predatory and deliberate, drawn to Elizabeth like blood to thirst.
Samantha lunged, wrapping her arms around her as Elizabeth clutched Israel close. For one desperate heartbeat, Samantha's shield flared, gold light scattering like shards of glass catching sunlight. But the mist struck, shattering her barrier into glittering fragments before punching through, straight into Israel.

Israel shrieked.

The sound tore through the night like glass breaking underwater. His small body tensed, fists clenching, feet kicking violently. His face scrunched in pain no child should ever know.

A second scream followed, sharper, thinner, and the metal poles nearby began to bend, slow at first, then with a long, agonized groan as they folded in half.

Elizabeth looked at me, her face streaked with tears. "He's burning, Max! He's burning... help him! Help my baby!"

The third cry came higher, splitting the air. The ground trembled. The vibrations rolled beneath us, deep and heavy, making the world feel alive and furious.

Rushing to Elizabeth, I fail to notice the pavement push upward as my foot catches a crack and I would have tumbled was it not for Alec who caught my fall.

Then the fourth. The highest, rawest sound of all. Tires burst one after another with deafening pops, rubber shrapnel slicing through the air. A fragment nicked Samantha's arm, drawing blood. Samuel leaned close, his arm curling protectively around her. "Stay still," he said softly.

Jamey pressed himself against the wall, his voice trembling, not in fear but grief. "Please... make it stop. He's just a baby."

The ground quivered again as Israel's cries reached a breaking point. His body arched, his skin glowing faintly beneath Elizabeth's trembling hands.

"Give him to me!" I said, running forward.

She hesitated only a second, then thrust him into my arms.

I sat on the cracked pavement, legs crossed, cradling him against my chest. His body trembled violently, heat radiating from him like a star losing control. I rocked back and forth, whispering into his hair, words I barely understood myself. "It's okay. You're safe. Please, just breathe..."

Tears blurred my sight. I looked up at the others, my voice breaking. "Help him..."

They didn't hesitate.

Seth moved first, his aura unfurling around me, silver and soft as breath. Alec stepped forward, his own aura rippling gold and silver. Jamey followed, eyes glassy, hands shaking, yet his light joined theirs. Adrian's presence flared behind them, steady and sure.

They surrounded us in silence.

The air began to move. The gold and silver auras lifted, weaving through the space around us in a living rhythm. They rose high into the sky, then descended through us, pulsing in harmony. Every breath, every heartbeat synced to the same divine pulse.

The light brushed across our skin like warmth after winter. It passed through Israel, through me, through all of us.

His screams quieted. His small fists unclenched. His body relaxed in my arms.

The trembling stopped. The street fell silent, except for Elizabeth's sobs and the faint hum of still energy.

Seth knelt beside me, his voice hushed. "We can't wait. The Sepulcher must cleanse him, or he'll break."

I brushed a shaking hand over Israel's soft hair. "Then we leave tonight."

Elizabeth dropped beside me, her voice breaking with emotion. "I don't know what would have happened if Israel and I didn't meet you. Fate brought us together."

Adrian's eyes lingered on the hollowed bodies. "Whatever that was," he said quietly, "it's learning to fight back."

Seth met my gaze. "Then so will we."

They all drew close to me and Israel, like moths to a flame. The faint shimmer of gold and silver lingered across the cracked street, threads of light drifting from Alec, Jamey, and Adrian outward to touch, to feel where chaos had reigned moments ago. Then, as if alive, they pulled back toward us again, probing, seeking, drawing Samantha, Samuel, and Elizabeth closer.

No one spoke. We didn't need to. The rhythm of shared breath and silver light bound us in silent unity.

My Living Scripture stirred, joining the moment until I finally whispered, "Hey, what happened to you, Flame?"
I nudged Seth beside me. "Breath responded when Seth needed him, but you..." My gaze shifted downward as it avoided mine, "...you hid in me."

Before I could say more, a silver wisp escaped Seth's lips, the Breath, alive and aware. It drifted toward me, coiling softly at my waist before pressing against my stomach. A faint shimmer of gold bloomed beneath its touch, the Flame surfacing shyly to meet it. For a moment, the two danced together. Gold and silver intertwined, a quiet heartbeat between them.

Seth's eyes softened. "It wasn't hiding, Max." His voice was low, reverent. "It was protecting our babies."

I froze, watching the light fade back into us, the truth settling like a prayer. The Flame hadn't hidden. It had guarded what even Heaven hadn't revealed.

Above us, the clouds shifted, parting just enough for a single ray of light to break through. It touched the ground where we stood, soft and steady, gilding us in warmth.
For a heartbeat, I felt it watching, and not the vastness of Heaven, but something closer, something tender. The calm between creation and promise.

Sometimes the most divine moments are not thunder or prophecy, but quiet truths whispered in light. Tonight, the Flame and Breath remember their purpose, and that is to protect life yet to bloom.

The next chapter will test what that protection truly means.