Tave gasped. Choking. His chest burned violently, as if his heart had been set ablaze. Heat poured from the inside out, raw and searing, like molten fire coursing through his veins.
His core, already battered from the binding process, was failing. The fire elemental energy had tried to nest itself inside, pushing too much, too fast.
And it had failed.
The elemental force rejected his core, almost shattered it.
Damn it!
If his core broken completely, he wouldn't just lose the Gaia Force. He'd die.
Gritting his teeth, Tave forced himself upright. Every movement screamed. Just lifting his eyelids felt like hauling stone. But he had to try. He had to survive. Giving in now?
Not a chance.
He steadied his breath, shut his eyes tightly, and reached inward. Focusing on the near-shattered heart of his power.
He could feel it. The cracks. The instability. The agony of fire trying to flood into a vessel already pushed to its edge.
ARGHHHHH!
