Kimaris arrived with a crash that split the air, its molten hooves scorching the ground with every step. Copper barding gleamed against its dark, zebra-striped body, and its massive bat wings stirred the ash into choking spirals. The devil-pegasus screeched, the sound sharp enough to splinter wood, and swarms of locusts poured from its flanks, blackening the sky as they circled the grove.

  “It’s always insects,” Faust muttered from within their shared consciousness. His half of the statue remained still, locked in shadow, but his presence pressed heavily against Faouzia’s mind. “And it always smells like sulfur.”

  “Focus,” Faouzia snapped, her voice taut as she strained against the rigidity of their form. Her side of the statue creaked and groaned as she raised her arms, splintering slightly as she called upon the grove’s defenses. The ground trembled, and twisted roots erupted, thick with thorns, to encircle their shared base.

  Kimaris charged, the earth trembling beneath its molten hooves. It smashed through the barrier with ease, its barding cutting the roots to shreds as it reared up. Faouzia moved instinctively, sending a hail of sharp, glinting thorns into the beast’s flank. The devil roared, its molten blood hissing as it struck the ground, but it retaliated with a slick, black spray of oil. The stench burned her senses as the oil ignited, flames licking up the base of the statue.

  “Your defense is charmingly flammable,” Faust quipped as the smoke curled around them. “Would you like me to handle this?”

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  “I’ll manage,” Faouzia shot back, though her voice wavered as Kimaris’ crimson eyes locked onto hers. A shadow fell over her mind, suffocating and cold, and she faltered. The burning grove blurred around her as visions twisted through her thoughts—Margaretta’s face, the fire that had consumed her cousin, and the scent of ash and betrayal.

  “Faouzia!” Faust’s voice snapped through the haze, sharp and commanding. “Don’t let it in. You’re stronger than that.”

  Gritting her teeth, she forced the shadows away and raised her arm again. A blinding light cut through the smoke, slamming into Kimaris and forcing the beast to stagger back. The copper barding absorbed much of the blow, glowing faintly with the heat, but the devil hesitated, its wings flaring in frustration.

  The Sun dipped below the horizon, and the Moon rose. The transition was seamless, their cursed existence having long ago taught them the precision of such shifts. Faouzia stilled, her wooden half locking into place, as Faust’s torso twisted to life with a groan of splintering wood.

  “Finally,” Faust muttered, his focus narrowing on the devil. He studied Kimaris’ next movements, his thoughts steady and cold. The beast charged again, its molten hooves tearing through the charred ground, but Faust was faster. A shimmering distortion of time rippled outward, and the creature slowed mid-stride, its massive wings beating against a current it couldn’t escape.

  Kimaris roared and spread its wings, releasing a gust that tore branches from the surrounding trees. Ash filled the grove, obscuring its movements, but Faust stepped through the distortion with calculated precision. His presence pressed against the devil’s mind, forcing it to stagger as it shrieked in pain.

  The beast retaliated with a surge of heat and fury, its molten hooves striking the ground in a concussive blast that sent embers flying. For a moment, Faust hesitated, the devil’s voice creeping into his thoughts with a whisper of guilt and failure.

  “You’ve always been weak,” it hissed, its voice laced with venom. “You’ll never escape the blood on your hands.”

  “I’ve heard worse,” Faust growled, steadying himself as the first light of dawn crept into the grove.