Dawn was bleeding through the windows. Lena was still breathing, but it was shallow.
Arian carried her to the crypt. Put the artifact back on the stone slab.
"Take from me," he told it. "Not her. Me."
The balance listened.
It took years off Arian's life.
It took his ability to ever walk in full sunlight again.
And it took his shadow. From that morning on, Arian never cast one. Not in lamplight, not in moonlight. Gone.
But Lena's eyes opened.
She was alive.
Arian wrapped the artifact in blessed chains and locked it in the deepest part of the crypt.
Outside, the city woke up. No one knew how close they came to burning.