Page 33 of Starlit Bargains

Before Kai could answer, two shadow creatures attacked simultaneously from opposite directions. Kai spun to face one, unleashing a wave of golden magic that caught the creature mid-lunge. It writhed in apparent pain, its form rippling as Kai's magic disrupted whatever dark energy held it together.

Behind him, he heard Eliar's sharp intake of breath, followed by a pulse of power that made the air itself vibrate. Kai glanced back to see Eliar holding the second creature at bay with one hand extended, silver-blue light streaming from his palm in a continuous flow. But something was wrong—the light flickered erratically, its color shifting between its usual silver-blue and a darker, almost purplish hue.

Eliar's face was tense with concentration, sweat beading on his forehead despite the chill air. He seemed to be struggling not just against the shadow creature but against his own power, as if trying to contain it even as he used it.

The remaining shadows sensed weakness. They converged on Eliar's side, sensing the faint trace of power he had managed to access. One slipped past his faltering defenses, striking at his leg with whip-like speed. Eliar staggered, the small thread of energy he'd been channeling from Kai cutting off abruptly.

"Eliar!" Kai shouted, abandoning his own opponent to send a blast of golden magic at the shadow attacking Eliar. The creature retreated, but the damage was done—a patch of corrosive shadow clung to Eliar's calf, eating through fabric and into flesh. His face contorted in pain as he tried to reestablish the tenuous connection to Kai's magic.

But it was clearly not enough. The binding on Eliar's powers meant he could only draw the smallest fraction of energy from Kai—just enough to defend himself in the most basic way, but nowhere near what would be needed to drive back the shadows. And now, even that limited connection was faltering under the strain of battle.

"Let me help you!" Kai shouted, frustration and fear making his voice harsh. "We need to find a way to share more of my magic!"

"You don't understand," Eliar replied through gritted teeth, barely deflecting another shadow attack with the minimal energy he could muster. "Even this small connection is straining against the bindings. If I draw any more from you?—"

"We're about to die!" Kai cut him off. "I think that's a bit more pressing than whatever you're worried about!"

As if to emphasize his point, a shadow creature surged between them, forcing them apart. Kai stumbled backward, dangerously close to the edge of the temple floor. Another shadow closed in from behind, cutting off his retreat. He was surrounded, separated from Eliar, his magic flaring wildly as panic threatened to overwhelm him.

Across the temple, Eliar wasn't faring much better. Three shadow creatures circled him, darting in to strike and retreating before his minimal defenses could catch them. The faint silver-blue shimmer around him—barely visible, just the merest hint of his former power—was fading entirely as the connection to Kai weakened with distance.

Their eyes met across the chaos—Kai's wide with desperate determination, Eliar's filled with an ancient fear that went beyond their immediate danger.

"Trust me," Kai called to him. "Whatever happens, we'll face it together. But right now, we need to survive!"

Something in Eliar's expression shifted—resolution replacing hesitation, decision overcoming doubt. With visible effort, he fought his way toward the center of the temple floor, where the ancient mosaic patterns were most concentrated.

"Come to the center," he called to Kai, his voice strained but determined. "The temple itself might help us."

Kai didn't argue. He fought his way back toward the center, golden magic streaming from his hands in defensive arcs that kept the shadow creatures momentarily at bay. When they reached each other, Eliar knelt and pressed one palm against the mosaic floor.

"I need your hand," he said, looking up at Kai. "The temple was built to amplify celestial energy. I can't access mine, but maybe with your connection to me, with your magic..."

Kai immediately knelt opposite Eliar, placing his hand atop the fallen guardian's. "Whatever you need," he said without hesitation.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then Kai felt it—a gentle drawing sensation as a small stream of his magic flowed through their connected hands, into Eliar, and through him into the temple itself. Not a torrent, not even a river, but a careful, controlled trickle.

The celestial patterns in the floor began to respond, not with blinding brilliance but with a soft, steady glow that spread outward from where their hands connected. The light traced the ancient designs, creating a circle of illumination that pushed the shadows back slightly.

It wasn't spectacular. It wasn't overwhelming power. But it was enough to keep the shadow creatures at bay, enough to give them a moment to breathe, to think.

"It's working," Kai said, surprised. "But barely."

"The temple remembers what I was," Eliar explained, his voice strained with the effort of maintaining even this small connection. "It's designed to respond to celestial energy. Your magic—it has enough resonance with mine to trigger a response, but not enough to fully activate the defenses."

As they maintained the connection, Kai noticed something concerning. Where their hands met, where his golden magic flowed into Eliar's silver-blue aura, tiny threads of darkness had begun to appear—black filaments that spread like hairline cracks through Eliar's already faint glow.

"What's happening?" Kai asked, alarmed but not breaking the connection.

“The prophecy,” Eliar replied, strain evident in every word. “The choice. It's happening now.”

“What choice? What do I need to do?”

Eliar looked at him then, his eyes still blazing with starlight but now rimmed with darkness. “My power is tainted, Kai. Corrupted by centuries of isolation, by bitterness, by the void pressing against my essence. If I embrace it fully, try to reclaim what I was...” He shook his head. “The corruption spreads. The veil weakens.”

The shadow creatures were regrouping at the edge of the light dome, their forms stretching and merging into something larger, more coordinated. They sensed the weakness in Eliar's power, were drawn to the darkness spreading within it.

“Then don't embrace it,” Kai said desperately. “There has to be another way.”

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