Chapter Sixty-Eight

“My life. . .I wish life had a reset button so I would reset mine.”

-Lucan Trinigad.

HEART TO HEART.

I sheathed my gleaming, razor-sharp sword, falling to the floor as I panted loudly. My hands, cudgeled and swollen, bore testament to the iron grip with which I had clutched the hilt of my sword. The pungent aroma of sweat, mingled with the delicate scent of lavender, ambushed my senses as Azure Sophia, my best friend, laid breathlessly on top of me, her laughter echoing through the hall.

"That's 0-3," she triumphantly declared, her voice resounding with pride. "I won again, suck on that, sucker."

"I let you win," I replied, trying to catch my breath. "You know that."

"Whatever you say, my dear defeated Lucan."

Sophia rolled away from me, stretching out alongside me, her head resting gently upon my shoulder. Both of us gazed in awe at the splendid candelabrum, ablaze with a luminous hue of vibrant orange-yellow. It extravasated an enchanting effulgence that perfectly harmonized with t