Echoes of Ruin
She was crouched next to Elias, blade in hand and blood on her temple, eyes straight ahead and unblinking like she was daring someone to come after him again.
Elias stumbled, and I moved to steady him before anyone else could, but Caelum got there first, blood smeared along one side of his face and clothes torn and burned at the edges. He took Elias under the arm and let him lean, and I was amazed at how little he said to anyone. Caelum, who was usually so loud in everything he did, had failed, or worse, had stopped. He had come back for more, and now he would see how much more could be lost.