Chapter 43 · No More Resets

"You're not doing this alone." Kael's hand locked around my wrist before I could reach the core.

I yanked against his grip. "Let go."

"No."

The core pulsed between us, a sphere of raw light suspended in the center of the chamber. Every beat sent cracks through the floor, through the walls, through the air itself. The reset mechanism was failing. I could feel it in my chest, that sick pull like my ribs were being pried apart.

"Kael." I turned to face him. "If I don't kill it now, both worlds burn."

"Then we do it together."

"That's not how this works." My voice came out ragged. "The anchor has to sever alone. You know that. Mira told you—"

"Mira's not here." His grip tightened. "And I'm not watching you die again."

Another pulse. The core brightened, and I saw the fractures spreading across his face, his armor, his skin. Not real cracks. Temporal ones. The kind that meant time was coming apart at the seams.

"You're already dying," I said. "Look at yourself."

He didn't look. He kept his eyes on me. "Then we're even."

I could've argued. Should've.