The tension between Aria's black flames and my purple ones felt like a live wire about to snap. You know that feeling right before a thunderstorm, when the air's so charged it makes your teeth hurt? Yeah, multiply that by about a thousand.

  "Um, can we maybe discuss this whole 'destined to kill each other' thing?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. "Because I've already died once today, and I'm not really looking for a repeat performance."

  Aria's mismatched eyes glinted with amusement. "Scared, Nightshade?"

  "Terrified, actually. Thanks for asking."

  The ground beneath us trembled, and that massive something in the darkness moved closer. The faces in the walls seemed to be screaming silently now, their expressions more desperate than before.

  Luna stepped between us, her staff crackling with energy. "Enough! Aria, back off. We need to get to the Sanctuary before—"

  A roar cut through the air, so powerful it cracked the stone around us. Rex's ears flattened against his head.

  "Too late," he growled. "Void Hunter."

  The creature that emerged from the darkness made the shadow wolves look like plush toys. It was huge, easily fifteen feet tall, with a body that seemed to be made of living shadows and bone. Its head was a skull that appeared to be burning from the inside, with flames the color of dried blood leaking from its eye sockets.

  "Oh, come on," I muttered. "That's just excessive."

  Aria moved to stand beside me, her black flames growing stronger. "Ready to learn what our cursed blood can really do?"

  "Not even slightly, but I'm guessing I don't have a choice."

  "Smart boy." She grabbed my wrist, and the moment our skin touched, something... changed.

  Power surged through me like a lightning bolt. My purple flames and her black ones swirled together, creating patterns in the air that made perfect sense despite being impossible to describe. It was like seeing music or tasting colors – something that shouldn't work but somehow did.

  "The flame resonance," Luna whispered, eyes wide. "It's actually true."

  The Void Hunter charged, its massive claws leaving trails of crimson energy in the air. Rex leaped forward, transforming mid-jump, while Luna began casting what looked like a much more complex version of her rune circles.

  "Follow my lead," Aria commanded, pulling me forward. "Let the curse flow naturally. Don't fight it."

  Easy for her to say. The power rushing through me felt like it was trying to tear me apart from the inside. But as much as I hated to admit it, she was right – the moment I stopped resisting, everything clicked into place.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  We moved in perfect sync, our combined flames creating weapons and shields of purple-black energy. Every time the Void Hunter struck, we countered. When it breathed a stream of blood-red fire, our flames formed a barrier that absorbed the attack.

  "The eyes!" Rex called out as he clawed at the creature's legs. "Hit the bloody eyes!"

  Luna's runes wrapped around the monster like chains, holding it in place for just a moment. "Now!"

  Aria's hand tightened around my wrist. "Together!"

  Our flames shot forward, twisting around each other like DNA strands, straight toward the Void Hunter's burning eye sockets. The impact was... well, remember that explosion from earlier? This one made it look like a firecracker.

  When the dust settled, the Void Hunter was gone, leaving behind a large crystal that pulsed with deep red light. But something was wrong. The crystal started to crack, leaking what looked like liquid shadows.

  "Don't let it break!" Luna shouted, but she was too far away.

  Aria moved faster than I thought possible, diving for the crystal. I reached for it at the same time, our hands touching as we grabbed it together.

  Big mistake.

  The moment we both touched the crystal, visions slammed into my mind like a freight train. I saw a massive city made of crystal and shadow, burning under a blood-red sky. I saw armies of creatures like the ones we'd fought, pouring out of massive portals. And I saw two figures standing atop a tower – one wreathed in purple flames, the other in black.

  They were fighting to the death.

  The vision ended as suddenly as it began. Aria and I stumbled backward, the crystal now stable and dark between us. We stared at each other, both knowing we'd seen the same thing.

  "What..." I gasped, "what was that?"

  "That," Luna said grimly, "was a glimpse of what's coming. The future the Void Lords want to create."

  Rex picked up the crystal, now safely inert. "And why these two are so important. The last descendants of the Original Guardians, whose power could either prevent that future..."

  "Or ensure it happens," Aria finished, her eyes locked on mine. "The question is, Zephyr, which side of that vision were you on? The destroyer or the savior?"

  I looked at my hands, still tingling with power. "You saw the same thing I did. Those two figures – we couldn't tell which was which."

  "Exactly." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That's what makes this so interesting."

  The ground shook again, but this time it felt different. The walls began to shift and change, revealing a massive doorway lined with glowing runes.

  "The Sanctuary," Luna explained. "It's accepting us. Come on, there's a lot you need to learn."

  As we walked toward the doorway, I felt Aria's eyes on me. "You know," she said quietly, "there might be a third option."

  "What's that?"

  "We could change the vision entirely. But it would mean trusting each other, despite the prophecy."

  I thought about how our powers had worked together, how natural it had felt. "Would that even be possible?"

  She laughed softly. "There's only one way to find out. If you're willing to risk it."

  The doorway pulsed with energy as we approached. Beyond it, I could see what looked like a vast chamber filled with light and shadow.

  "Well," I said, managing a grin, "I did get killed trying to save a cat. Making questionable decisions seems to be my specialty."

  Rex snorted. "Kid, you have no idea."

  As we stepped through the doorway, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was walking into something much bigger than just a prophecy about two people destined to kill each other. The way our powers had connected, the vision we'd shared...

  There was more to this story. Much more.

  And somewhere in the darkness behind us, something laughed.