To Save a Queen

Back at the crater, Auren knelt in silence—his hand extended over Queen Elarya's motionless body, blood dripping steadily from a deep gash across his palm. At his side sat the Whisker Oracle, its large starry eyes unblinking, watching with quiet solemnity.

Every time the wound began to seal, Auren reopened it without hesitation, dragging the blade across flesh again and again. The pain was sharp, persistent—but he grit his teeth and bore it.

It may have looked like madness. Maybe even suicide.But Auren knew his limits. And more importantly, he knew what was at stake.

He was bleeding to save someone important and not because he lost his mind.

"Don't you dare die on me, queen!" he shouted in his mind while gritting through pain.

With the regenerative powers of the Golden Phoenix flowing through his veins, he could take it. At least, for now.