Chapter 96: Fractured Remains

The aftermath of the battle hung heavy in the stifling heat of the chamber, the air thick with the acrid stench of sulfur and charred stone.

Conor held Kerrigan close as they sat on the floor, his grip firm as she clutched her knees to her chest, slowly rocking, her soul threatened to buckle under the weight of their shared loss.

His own back was a smoking mess of charred skin that hurt to move, but he still held her, refusing to let the woman he loved deal with this pain of loss alone.

Gabriella’s sacrifice had saved them all, but her absence left a hollow ache that gnawed at the edges of their resolve.

Colonel Eli moved to the edge of the lava pit, his face drawn and grim. His eyes fell on the Soul Stone, its jagged pieces scattered near the molten rock, still pulsing faintly with the dark energy of Falik.

The once-whole artifact, so dangerously close to full power, was now a fractured mess, its ominous glow sputtering like a dying ember. Yet even in its weakened state, the stone ra