Page 80 of Eternal Thorns

“He's still in there,” Silas said, feeling hope flare dangerous and bright in his chest.

The shadow entity struck again, this wave of darkness hitting harder than before. Dead flowers bloomed in its wake, beautiful and wrong.

“We can't keep defending,” Kai shouted, throwing his last protective charm that shattered on impact. “We need something more!”

Silas staggered back from another assault, the key burning against his chest. Something felt different this time - not just the usual warmth, but a building resonance that made his bones hum.

It's time, the Elder Willow's voice echoed in his mind, ancient and certain.The Sword of Balance chooses its bearer.

“The what?—”

The key erupted in blinding silver light, tearing itself from its chain. Power surged through Silas like lightning as the metal stretched and transformed, coalescing into a blade that sang with impossible harmonies. Ancient symbols traced its edge - the same marks he'd seen on Thorne's crown of branches, now blazing with combined human and fey magic.

“Holy shit,” Kai breathed, backing away as silver light rippled off the weapon. “Is that?—”

“The First Blade,” the Elder Willow materialized beside them, her bark-skin glowing faintly. “Forged when realms were one, meant to protect the balance between all powers. It hasn't appeared since the original sundering.”

“You might have mentioned this was possible,” Silas said, adjusting his grip on the sword's hilt. It felt perfectly weighted, as if made for his hand.

“Some things must be discovered, not told.” The Elder Willow's ancient eyes tracked the blade's light. “The sword appears only for those who understand true harmony – who can accept both shadow and light.”

The shadow entity's rage manifested as physical assault, darkness lashing out with stolen power. But this time, Silas met it with the sword raised. Where the blade cut through corruption, silver fire burned in its wake.

“If you have a plan,” Kai shouted over the magical maelstrom, throwing protective herbs that burst into blue flame mid-air, “now would be an excellent time!”

But Silas was already moving, the sword an extension of his will as he carved paths through writhing darkness. Each swing carried traces of their combined magic. Shadow constructs recoiled from the blade's light, hissing where it cut through their corrupted forms.

Everything in the grove had gone strange - sound muffled like being underwater, time moving thick and slow. Through this warped perception, he watched darkness pour into Thorne's transformed body in endless waves. The sword pulsed in his grip, resonating with each surge of corruption.

Yet something wasn't right about how the darkness flowed. The shadow entity's attacks felt desperate rather than triumphant, its hold on Thorne's essence more tenuous than it wanted them to see. Each time Silas's blade cut through itsmanifestations, he felt the connection between them strengthen rather than break.

Each wave of corruption that tried to break him instead created another point of connection, another way to fight back from within. The sword's light grew brighter with every strike, drawing power from their strengthening bond.

Their damaged connection suddenly blazed with impossible warmth. Silas felt Thorne reaching for him through the very power meant to corrupt them both, turning the entity's connection into bridge instead of weapon. The sword in his hands sang with recognition, its light matching the patterns that still glowed beneath Thorne's corrupted skin.

Come on,that touch seemed to say.See what I'm doing. Understand how to end this.

The sword hummed in Silas's grip as understanding hit like lightning. “The vortex,” he breathed. “It's not just corrupting him - it's using him as conduit. Every connection between us gives it more power, but also-”

“Also what?” Kai ducked beneath a shadow construct, his protective charms shattering one after another. “Because from here it looks like your boyfriend is being turned into a shadow battery!”

“Also gives him a way to fight back.” Silas swung the blade in a wide arc, its silver light carving through waves of darkness. Where the sword cut, corruption couldn't immediately reform. “The entity can only corrupt existing connections. But real love, chosen despite knowing its cost...”

The blade's light pulsed, each beat matching their shared heartbeat. Shadow constructs lunged for him, wearing faces from his memories. But the sword cut through illusions as easily as corruption, leaving trails of burning silver in its wake.

Corruption poured into Thorne with renewed violence, trying to break him before Silas could act on this insight.The forest guardian's form twisted further, crown of branches melting like tar while sickly light pulsed through blackened veins.

Silas charged forward, the sword blazing brighter with each step. Shadow constructs fell before his blade like leaves in autumn, their darkness burning away where silver light touched them. Through their damaged bond came something stronger than pain - fierce triumph tangled with desperate urging.Yes,Thorne's essence sang.Finally, you understand.

“Silas!” Kai's warning came too late.

The shadow entity's final assault hit like physical force, corrupted magic filling every molecule of air. Darkness reached for them with horrible familiarity, wearing Thorne's stolen knowledge of exactly how to hurt them most.

The sword exploded with light as Silas met the attack head-on. Silver fire spiraled up the blade, matching the patterns that still glowed beneath Thorne's corrupted skin. Each strike burned away more darkness, not just cutting but purifying what it touched.

In this moment of extremis, with corruption trying to tear reality apart, Silas felt something impossible through their nearly-broken bond: Thorne wasn't just fighting anymore.

He was winning.

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