You Want It Darker

In war-torn Cerasus, the only way to end the conflict is an ancient tournament rife with danger and magic: the Elevare. When the disgraced Prince Ashton is chosen to represent Claritas, he soon finds that he has a much bigger problem than the four challenges he will need to complete: he's fallen in love with his competitor, Prince Calum of Tenebris, and Calum may well have his own dangerous agenda...

There's a lover in the story but the story's still the same.
There's a lullaby for suffering and a paradox to blame,
But it's written in the scriptures and it's not some idle claim.
You want it darker. We kill the flame.

It felt good to know Calum cared about his happiness, even if they were about to compete against each other in front of the entire planet. That didn't mean Ashton's brief fluttering of warmth was worthless though. It was the little things that mattered most sometimes - like Calum's dimples creasing his cheeks and not the crushing weight of the Elevare - and that was worth holding on to.
With Calum by his side, Ashton knew he'd get through this somehow.