Lucian inclines his head slightly.
“The blood carries the ignition,” he says, “but the bond carries the distribution.”
Axel exhales slowly.
“And if the bond fractures,” he says.
Lucian does not hesitate.
“The stabilization fractures.”
The implication moves through us in a quiet wave.
“If one of us is removed,” Atticus says.
“The structure destabilizes,” Lucian confirms.
The dungeon hum deepens again, and I feel the tether stretch not in panic but in acknowledgment.
“You are only half of it,” Lucian repeats softly, and his gaze sharpens slightly, “and the second half is not buried in soil.”
Axel studies him carefully.
“You are implying it is here,” he says.
Lucian does not deny it.
“It is either within the bond,” he says calmly, “or within the blood that formed the bond.”
My
