Gideon's sacrifice

But with the sundering of her contract, volcanic heat began burning up through her tattoos, which rapidly became cracks in her skin that revealed the fiery power fast consuming her from the inside out. And from the outside in. Liliana began to literally flake apart. She could feel it, see it, smell it. Her clothing. Her skin. She was now a witness to her own disintegration.

***

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Half thinking it was a stray Eternal that Bolas had sent to harvest her Spark, she turned.

It was Gideon, bleeding from both arms, but tall and handsome and smiling at her.

She watched as he extended his invulnerability to her, over her.

No, he’s not extending it…he’s gifting it.

She found herself thinking, Stop. You do this, and you’ll take on my burden—without protection. This will kill you. And you don’t have to die. You’re the one person who doesn’t have to die.

He just smiled again and shook his head. One would’ve thought he was Jace, his thoughts seemed so clear: Many have died to stop Bolas. Let me be the last.

Gideon, please… He whispered, “I can’t be the hero this time, Liliana, but you can.”

Liliana glowed with Gideon’s invulnerability—pure white light, which held her together, bound her back together, replenished her and made her whole.

In exchange, the black death magic of her breached contract crept up Gideon’s hand, transferring from her to him. Her tattoos glowed across the shredded skin of his arms. He ignited, flaking apart, as she had been doing mere seconds ago.

***

From an inch away (or maybe a world away), Liliana saw Gideon smile beatifically—before his smile, his teeth, his skin, his eyes, his entire handsome, kind, muscular face began to glow with the hellish light of her tattoos, of her broken contract.

No, she pleaded, as the blaze expanded, as if attempting to burn her arm—her arm, which could not be burned thanks to Gideon’s gift.

Take it back…Please…

The smile was still there. Right up to the moment that he burst into black flame and disintegrated before her eyes.

His empty armor clattered at her feet. His ashes blew away on the wind. She looked up at Bolas. The dragon looked smug. She cried out in fury and pushed the God-Eternals forward…

***

War of the Spark: Ravnica, Chapter 60, 62