THE BREAKING POINT

The weight of the doppelgängers' words settled over them like a storm cloud. **If they didn't act, both worlds would collapse.**

Kieran's mind raced. His visions had never shown this. Was this an anomaly even he couldn't predict? His gaze flickered to his void-eyed counterpart, searching for answers in the darkness.

Elara's shifting doppelgänger tilted her head, her form flickering between a bird, a wolf, a shadow. "You hesitate because you think there's a way out. There isn't."

Elara squared her shoulders. "There's always a way."

Golden Rebel sighed. "Your defiance is admirable. But we've lived this choice already. We know how it ends."

Rebel's eyes narrowed at his counterpart. "And what? You expect us to just accept your warning and fall in line?"

The golden version of him shrugged. "You don't have to accept anything. The collapse is already happening. Look."

He raised a glowing hand, and suddenly, the air around them **rippled**—like shattered glass reforming before their eyes.

And then Kieran saw it.

Visions flashed before him—not of the future, but of **all futures at once**.

A world where Natuka and Earth **bled together**, turning into something unnatural. A timeline where he and Elara never returned to Earth at all. A version of himself, standing in **Rebel's place**, wielding the artifacts that had once belonged to the rogue leader.

And then, the most horrifying vision of all—a world where both Earth and Natuka **ceased to exist entirely**, swallowed by the anomaly.

Kieran staggered back, his breath ragged. "No," he whispered. "This can't be real."

Elara caught his arm, steadying him. "What did you see?"

He swallowed hard. "Too much."

The shifting doppelgänger let out a low, distorted laugh. "Then you understand. This isn't just about choosing a world anymore. The Reckoning has turned into something much worse."

Rebel exhaled sharply. "So what's the solution?"

Golden Rebel studied him for a long moment before answering.

**"You have to make the choice. Fully. Completely. No hesitation, no regrets. Only then will the anomaly close."**

Kieran's stomach twisted.

It was a trap. A test. A final gamble.

Because if they chose wrong… **there might not be a world left to save.**

—