Chapter 54 Powers Combined

Chapter 54 Powers Combined
Deborah’s POV

The silver flames didn't burn. They sang.
Deborah gasped. She was awake again, and too many feelings hit her all at once. She almost blacked out again. Power rushed through her like shining liquid, but it wasn't just hers. 
Mixed with the silver fire was something gold, something warm and familiar. She knew what Erick had done.
"No," she whispered. Her eyes opened to see him next to her, fallen. His skin was pale, and his chest barely moved. "No, no, no, Erick!"
She reached for him. Silver flames shot from her fingers, wrapping around his still body. But they didn't hurt him. They seemed to know him, to welcome him. 
The golden light from his body, which had been fading, brightened. 
Deborah felt it: their powers met, joined, and became something new, not just silver, not just gold, but both.
She couldn't breathe. It felt like falling and flying at the same time, like she was being broken apart and put back together in a moment. She could feel Erick in her mind, in her soul, as real as her own heart. 
He had given her everything, his power, his life, his very self, to save her from dying.
He was ready to die for her.
This thought opened something inside her chest. Something she had kept hidden for so long, she forgot about it. Love rushed through her, strong and scary and clear. 
With it came a huge burst of power. So much power that the ground under them cracked.
"Impossible," Malachai's voice broke through the noise. Deborah looked up. He was staring at them with what looked like fear. "You should both be dead."
"Sorry to disappoint," Deborah said. Her voice had two sounds in it, hers and Erick's, perfectly mixed. She stood up, lifting Erick's still body into her arms. 
The new combined power spun around them like a shield. "But we're not done yet."
She gently put him down, her hand staying on his face. His skin was cold, too cold. But she could feel his life, barely pulsing through their connection. Hold on, she thought, begging. Just hold on.
The silver-gold flames around her hands got brighter. She pressed them to his chest, sending her power, their power, back into him. 
It was like undoing what he had done, finishing the circle he began. Energy moved between them. It wasn't just one way anymore, but a loop, going back and forth forever.
Erick's eyes snapped open.

Erick’s POV
Erick first felt Deborah. No pain, even though his body hurt badly. Not tired, even though he was completely worn out. 
Just Deborah. She was inside him, her power mixed with his so much that he didn't know where he ended and she began.
"Deborah," he gasped.
"I'm here," she said. Her face came into view above him, with fire around it. It should have scared him, but it felt like coming home. "I'm here, and you're an idiot. I'm going to kill you myself once we get through this."
He gave a weak smile. "Fair."
She helped him sit up. When he moved, their power rushed through him strongly. It felt good, unlike anything before. He could feel her feelings: her fear for him, her anger at Malachai, and her love. 
She hadn't said it yet, but he felt it strongly between them.
"Together?" he asked. His voice was rough, but he meant it.
She took his hand. Their combined power burst out, pushing Malachai back. "Together," she said. It was a promise.
They stood up together, moving as one. Erick felt how powerful they had become. The old stories talked about the Silver Flame and Golden Light fighting evil. But this was different. 
They weren't just side by side. They were mixed, their powers so fully combined that they made something new. Something Malachai couldn't handle.
"You think you've won?" Malachai said angrily. Dark power moved around him. "You children are playing with forces you don't understand!"
"Maybe," Erick said, his voice steady. Deborah being in his mind made him strong. Her strength became his strength. "But we understand each other. And that's all we need."
Malachai attacked. He used all his power, and dark shadows with claws came at them. But Erick and Deborah moved in together. Their flames made a shield that the darkness couldn't get through. 
Each time Malachai hit, they hit back. Their combined power got smarter with every move.
Erick had never felt this before. In fights, he was always alone in his head, making quick choices. But now Deborah was with him. Her smart thinking helped his power. 
They didn't need to talk; they just knew what the other would do, or what was needed.
"Left," Deborah thought to him. Erick turned at once, sending his power to stop a shadow she felt first.
"Above," he thought back. She was already moving, her flames going up to block an attack from the sky.
They fought like they'd done it for years, not seconds. Their movements were close and dangerous. When they touched, power flowed between them. 
Every look told them a lot. And through it all, Erick felt her love for him get stronger and clearer. It was a powerful feeling inside him.
"Together!" Deborah yelled.
"Together!" Erick yelled back. Their powers burst out, a wave of silver and gold light that covered everything.

Deborah’s POV
Deborah felt powerful and weak all at once.
With Erick so close to her, she felt unstoppable, but also totally open. He knew everything she felt, all her fears and hopes she usually hid. She couldn't hide from him or pretend she didn't love him like crazy.
And somehow, that made her stronger.
I've got you, he thought to her through their connection. It felt warm and steady. Always.
His words almost broke her. She used that feeling to make her silver flames even stronger, pouring from her hands. Erick did the same. His golden light was brighter than she'd ever seen. 
When their powers met, they didn't fight. They joined together, becoming something that wasn't silver or gold, but a perfect mix.
Malachai was losing ground. His attacks got wilder and more desperate. He thought he was fighting two separate people, two powers he could easily beat one by one. 
But he faced something new, a connection so strong that hurting one meant hurting both. Their combined power was way more than if they fought alone.
"This isn't possible!" Malachai yelled, his shape wavering as their mixed power broke through his shields. "The prophecy didn't say anything about this!"
"Maybe the prophecy was wrong," Deborah said. She felt Erick agree through their link. "Or maybe we're making a new one."
She grabbed Erick's hand again. The moment they touched, their power burst out. The mixed silver-gold flames shot up, a huge column of fire that went into the sky and shook the ground. 
Deborah felt Erick put everything he had into the attack through their bond, and she did the same, giving it her all.
Together, they both thought at once, and it happened.
The flames covered Malachai. He screamed in pure anger and shock. 
His body started to fall apart, shadows coming off him like burning paper. Underneath, she saw something that wasn't human or demon, but much older and scarier.
"This isn't over," he hissed, his voice breaking into many strange sounds. "The Void lasts forever. I will last forever. You've only won a small break."
"Then we'll fight you again," Erick said, squeezing Deborah's hand. "And again. And again. As many times as we need to."
"Together," Deborah added. That one word was a promise stronger than the fight, the prophecy, everything.
Their combined power burst one last time, and Malachai's body completely broke apart. He didn't die. Deborah felt that as his energy faded, but he was gone. 
He was pulled back into the dark Void he came from, his being spread across other places.
For now, at least, they'd won.
The mixed flames faded, and the rush that kept Deborah going left her. She stumbled. Erick caught her right away, putting his arms around her waist as they both fell to their knees.
"We did it," she whispered, her forehead resting against his.
"We did," he agreed. Through their link, she felt how tired he was, how relieved, and his strong love for her.
They stayed like that for a while, holding each other. Their powers still hummed together, even as they dimmed down. Around them, the fighting place was quiet. The air smelled of old magic and the leftover darkness of the Void.
But far away, something moved. A shadow that didn't belong, a hint of evil that made Deborah's blood turn cold.
Malachai's final words echoed in her mind: The Void is eternal.
She looked up at Erick. In his eyes, she saw he knew the same thing.
They'd won the battle.
But the war was far from over.