'Why is this still happening?'
Elara stared toward her brother.
The God of War was inside him. One of the strongest gods had descended into Darius's body, yet the battle had not ended.
Against a one-horned Archfiend.
How could that be difficult?
Her stomach tightened again.
She tried to swallow, but her throat felt dry despite the freezing air passing her lips.
Was Darius unable to bear the god's power? Was that why he was injured? Had something happened in the Demon Realm?
And why did every answer she imagined make her more afraid?
A distant flash reflected in her golden eyes.
Elara drew upon the phoenix's sight.
The valley sharpened between drifting curtains of snow. She found the demon again, and her thoughts stumbled.
Black skin.
Four pale horns.
Long white hair streaming around a body taller and broader than the one she remembered.
But she recognised his face.
'That's him.'
His presence reached her beneath the far greater disturbance of divine power.
