This chapter shifts the tone of the story in a way I’ve been waiting to reach.
You’ll see power, choice, and consequence collide,  and not everyone will react the way you expect.

Breathe. Read slowly. Let the moment hit.

And when you reach the end…
yes, I already know what you’re going to say.

Enjoy.

No one wanted to sleep.

The house still breathed like it remembered Heaven. The windows hummed with the aftertaste of starlight, and every light flickered as if unwilling to return to ordinary life. Someone, probably Samantha, ordered pizza while the rest of us stood around pretending to be useful.

By the time the smell hit the air, the lounge looked like an impromptu war room designed by teenagers. Coffee cups, slices of half-eaten pizza, and empty sugar packets lined the table. Alec had claimed the couch corner like a king, Jamey balanced a plate on his knee, and Samantha handed out mugs like a saint who had lost all patience.

“Remind me again why we’re not in bed?” Adrian asked, lowering himself into a chair with a sigh.
“Because sleep is for mortals,” Jamey replied through a mouthful of cheese. “And apparently we graduated from that class three crises ago.”

Seth leaned against the doorway, arms folded, a faint grin tugging at his lips. “You know, you could at least pretend to chew before declaring your immortality.”
“I’m conserving energy,” Jamey said. “You should try it sometime.”

Laughter rippled through the room. Even Marcus smiled from his spot by the window, quietly observing, beads in his hair glinting faintly with each movement. The glow had dimmed but hadn’t vanished.

When everyone finally settled, the table was filled with the stones we had collected. They looked harmless enough; small, dark, glossy pieces like coal polished by sin. Yet even from where I sat, I could feel the faint hum beneath the surface, like something asleep but listening.

I picked one up, turning it over in my hand. “They’re identical to the one the Hanged Man had.”
“Except now there’s enough to build a wall,” Alec muttered. “Maybe two.”

Marcus’s voice was calm. “These stones were tampered with by him. Mass-produced and unstable.”

Samantha frowned. “Unstable how?  And how do you know this?”

He met her gaze, unbothered. “Because in my homeland, they use them to pave walkways leading up to the shrines. When stacked together, they hum, and not with malice, but with a strange, peaceful rhythm. That’s why no one questioned it.”
He paused, fingers brushing one of the stones. “But that calm vibration… It’s what draws the attention of the other side. They mistake it for something divine.”

Jamey swallowed hard. “Attention as in… demons, ghosts, or customer service?”
“Whichever gets here first,” Marcus replied dryly.

Seth placed the stone back on the table. “They can’t be destroyed?”
“Not by ordinary power,” I said quietly.

All eyes turned toward me. I rested my hand on my belly, half-protective, half-instinctive. “Last time, I disintegrated one with the Flame and Breath joined within me. It crumbled like dust.”

Seth’s gaze hardened. “You are not trying that again.”
“I didn’t say I would,” I replied, though I absolutely would.
He caught the flicker in my expression, the one that always betrayed me. His jaw tightened. “You’re pregnant, Max.”
“And I’m still capable of thinking,” I shot back.

Alec raised a hand. “Should we maybe step outside before this becomes a domestic power struggle?”
Jamey shook his head. “No way. This is better than television.”

I leaned forward. “If I could just borrow your Breath…”
Seth straightened. “No.”
“It’s for mastery, Seth. Control. Understanding. You said yourself, I need to learn how to handle the fluctuations.”
“Not like this,” he said, tone low. “Not when the twins are linked to you.”

Silence hit the clearing, sharp and absolute.

Then Samuel spoke up from the corner, voice even. “If she cannot risk taking the Breath, then maybe you should try absorbing her Flame instead.”

Every head turned.

Seth blinked. “That’s… uncharted territory. Would it even be safe to pull the Flame out of Max now?”

Samuel didn’t look away. “You forced the Breath into her when you were dying. It almost destroyed everything, yet she managed to survive. She carried both and held the world together. You are her counterpart. If anyone can balance that dual power, it’s you.”

I drew a slow breath, my voice steadier than my heart. “He’s right. The Flame trusts you as much as I do.”  Jamey whistled softly. “Well, this is how people accidentally invent new religions.”

Seth ignored him, his silver-flecked eyes flicking between me and the stones. “If I try this, I need full control of the environment. Everyone else stays clear.”

Alec grinned, cracking his knuckles. “Finally. Something to keep me awake.”
“You were never asleep,” Samantha muttered.
“Exactly,” he said. “I’m committed.”

I placed my hand over Seth’s. “You can do this.”

He exhaled, and the silver light beneath his skin began to stir. The temperature dipped, and the stones on the table quivered, humming as if they knew what was coming.

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

The air seemed to listen with us, heavy and still, thick with the hum that clung to the stones. Even the smallest sound, the scrape of Alec’s chair, the soft rustle of Lady Elsa’s dress, felt too loud, and too alive.

Marcus broke the silence first. “I don’t know this house very well,” he said, glancing toward the door. “Or any of you, for that matter.” His tone was calm but edged with purpose. “If he’s going to attempt this out there…”  He nodded toward the dark outside, “Then we’ll need flashlights.

Before anyone could respond, Samantha was already on her feet. “Give me two minutes.”

She disappeared down the hall and returned moments later, carrying nine of them with a pack of batteries. “Don’t ask where I got these,” she said flatly, handing them out.

“Remind me never to question your storage habits,” Jamey muttered.

“Good,” Samantha said. “Now help plant them outside.”

We stepped out one by one. Seth and I led, hand in hand, our palms warm despite the chill. Alec flanked my other side, silent but vigilant. Marcus and Adrian followed close behind, their shadows long and steady, while Jamey trailed at the rear, flashlight held high like a reluctant hero.

“You know,” he said, voice echoing into the dark, “if this ends with spontaneous combustion, I’m blaming everyone who didn’t pray properly.”

Alec smirked. “So… everyone, then?”

“Exactly,” Jamey said.

The path curved through the tall grass until it opened into the clearing; a wide, dew-laced field framed by the whispering silhouettes of trees. The flashlights flickered to life in our hands, casting a trembling amber glow across the circle. Fireflies drifted lazily between us, their light faint beside the glimmering inscriptions still shifting beneath my skin.

Marcus raised his hand. “Plant the flashlights around them.”

Alec and Jamey did as told, forming a ring of light. When they stepped back, Seth and I took our places at the center.

Lady Elsa, Eric, and Samuel trailed after us, burdened with the black stones. They arranged them along the rim of the light, close enough to study, but far enough that their hum wouldn’t bleed into us.

The night was hushed. Even the crickets fell silent, as though some unseen presence had ordered reverence.

Seth looked up. “When this starts, no one moves.”

“Define ‘moves,’” Jamey whispered.

Samantha shot him a glare. “Breathing counts as movement.”

She stuck the last torch into the ground beside Alec and dusted her hands. “That’s all nine. No one touches them once they’re down.”

“Why not?” Jamey asked.

Marcus gave him a flat look, one corner of his mouth twitching upward. “Duh. I want to see what happens, and whether it’ll be anything like what I saw through the rift when Max held both powers.”

The air shifted. Even the night seemed to lean closer at his words.

Alec turned slightly. “You saw that?”

Marcus’s beads chimed softly as he nodded. “Every second of it. Hard to forget watching creation rewrite itself.”

He didn’t look away from Seth. “So, I can’t wait to see what Mr. Pretty Boy over there is going to look like.”

Jamey nearly choked on his own breath. “Did… did he just call Seth pretty?”

Alec smirked. “You’re brave, man. I’ll give you that.”

Seth arched a brow, his voice smooth but edged. “You planning to sketch it, or just stare?”

Marcus grinned, unbothered. “Depends. I might need a bigger canvas.”

Jamey shone his phone light at him. “See? That’s exactly why I don’t trust artists. Always thinking in metaphors right before something explodes.”

The brief laughter that followed broke the tension, but it didn’t erase it. The air still felt charged, alive, aware, and waiting for something holy to happen.

“Please. I’ve only been through one apocalypse, a divine rewrite, and pregnancy cravings. This barely makes the list, unless you start glowing.”

He chuckled softly, “Ready?”

I nodded, feeling our babies stir in my womb as if sensing what was to come.

The night listened.  Everyone waited.

For a heartbeat, the world vanished.
A sound shifted nearby, a faint scuff of movement, directionless in the dark, followed by someone’s sharp inhale. The air thickened around us, heavy and waiting, as if the stillness felt intentional.

Golden mist seeped from my skin, rising like breath caught between worlds. It drifted to Seth, curious, hesitant, circling him as if meeting him for the first time. The Breath, however, was less welcoming. Silver mist flared in warning, brushing against the Flame with a playful, almost possessive pulse.

They danced, gold and silver, each testing the other, circling in arcs that painted the night alive. Our little clearing glowed like dawn trapped between heartbeats.

Adrian stood across from me, Jamey beside him. The poor man couldn’t resist. He pointed dramatically toward the spectacle and said, “Hey, Flame, Breath… it’s bad enough your masters flirt mid-apocalypse, but do you really have to join in?”

Adrian closed his eyes and muttered, “One day, Jamey, the universe will smite you for commentary.”

Jamey grinned. “Then I hope it’s photogenic.”

The Breath brushed against the Flame again, this time softer, coaxing rather than clashing. But when the Flame tried to enter Seth, it slipped through his arm and burst outward, as if refusing to belong anywhere but with me. It lingered there, hovering between us, its glyphs flickering like eyes caught between fears and longing.

The Living Scripture pulsed in uneven rhythm.  First hesitant, then almost trembling, as though it couldn’t decide if Seth was worthy to carry what had once only answered to me. For a moment, it circled him warily, tasting his essence through the air, its golden light wavering between defiance and recognition before softening, unsure but listening.

Seth steadied himself, jaw tight, light gathering under his skin. “Come on now, Flame,” he murmured. “Do it like you did for her.”
“Flattering,” I said dryly, “but I think it’s judging you.”

He exhaled and reached for me, and not with urgency, but with the kind of reverence that made the air tighten. His fingers brushed my cheek, tracing the edge of my jaw until his thumb rested just below my lip. The warmth of his touch burned and soothed in the same breath, sending a tremor through my chest.
My breath hitched. I hated that it still did. I loved that it still did.

He leaned closer, the distance between us shrinking until I could taste his breath, which was silver and soft, like moonlight turned tangible. His eyes met mine, and the world folded to that single gaze.
“Let it feel us,” I whispered, voice barely sounding. “The Flame only follows truth.”
His mouth curved, a quiet, knowing smile. “Then let’s show it what love looks like.”

When he kissed me, it wasn’t hunger that stole my breath; it was belonging. The kind of kiss that rewrote your pulse, where every heartbeat said mine without taking, yours without yielding. His hand slid to my thigh, fingers firm, grounding me in the living proof of what we were.

The Flame quivered, hesitant still, its light pulsing between defiance and desire. Then, as our foreheads met and our breaths mingled, it yielded. The glyphs softened, flowing like tears down its golden surface, and in one trembling moment of trust, it chose him.

It shivered between us, gold light sparking in the space where our lips parted. It circled him once, testing, teasing, and then poured into him in one brilliant, shuddering breath.

The golden flare vanished into Seth, leaving the clearing washed in silence and the echo of something sacred.

Then Jamey, standing a few paces back, muttered under his breath, “You two ever consider toning down the holy intimacy when the rest of us are still present?”
Alec barked a laugh, shaking his head. “Can’t. It’s educational.”

They stopped their banter when Seth’s body arched violently, light surging through him in ripples of gold and silver. I lunged forward, kneeling beside him. “Seth. Love?”
His head tilted back, eyes shut tight. “Come on, Seth, respond to me.”

Another shudder tore through him, and then the world turned gold and silver at once. His aura erupted from crown to heel, burning through the night until every face in the clearing was bathed in divine light.

Alec took a step forward, alarmed.
“Don’t,” I warned, my voice sharp. “No one moves. Not until I say.”

Seth’s breathing slowed. The glow didn’t fade; it deepened. Frost crept along the grass beneath him, shimmering where gold met silver. The temperature plummeted.

Eric grabbed my arm and pulled me close. “You might want to step back, Max.”

“Eric,” I muttered, eyeing his grip, “you realize you’re manhandling a pregnant divine being mid-miracle, right? You sure that’s the hill you want to die on?”

He immediately let go. “Right. Force of habit.”

“Bestie privileges revoked,” I muttered.

The others chuckled softly, but awe soon swallowed sound. Seth sat unmoving, radiance pouring from his skin like starlight being born anew. The earth itself trembled under the weight of what he was becoming.

The static hit first.

A low crackle rippled across the field, gentle at first, then suddenly everybody’s hair stood on end.

Jamey yelped, clutching his head. “I must look like I just kissed a power socket!”

Alec’s hair was pointing in seven different directions. “Correction.  You look like you lost the fight with it.”

Even Marcus grinned, brushing at his beads as sparks danced between them. “Well,” he murmured, “at least we know the air’s alive.”

The laughter died down, replaced by a kind of waiting silence. Not still, but alive, like the world was holding its pulse.

Seth exhaled.