THE PRICE OF FREEDOM

The void whispered in **hunger**.

Kieran and Elara stood before a towering figure of shifting darkness, its form barely distinguishable from the abyss that surrounded them. Its many arms stretched outward, shifting and warping like tendrils of pure night. Its voice slithered through the air, neither loud nor soft, but **everywhere** at once.

**"You seek escape."**

Elara clenched her fists, her breath steady but her golden eyes burning with determination. "We do."

Kieran swallowed, trying to suppress the unease creeping up his spine. "And you can give it to us?"

The entity **laughed**, a hollow, reverberating sound that sent ripples through the endless void.

**"Escape is a gift... but gifts come with a price."**

Kieran exchanged a glance with Elara. They both knew what this meant.

They had no power here, no control. If this thing—whatever it was—was offering them a way out, it wouldn't be for free.

Elara's form flickered uncontrollably as she took a step forward. "What's the price?"

The creature's eyes—if it even had any—seemed to pierce through them.

**"A piece of you."**

Kieran tensed. "Explain."

The shadows around them **coiled**, pressing closer.

**"Your abilities. Your memories. Your past. Your future."**

A heavy silence fell between them.

This was no ordinary deal.

If they accepted, they wouldn't just lose a part of themselves—they could lose **everything** that made them who they were.

Elara tightened her jaw. "If we don't take the deal?"

The void **rippled**, the darkness stretching infinitely in all directions.

**"You will remain here. Until you are nothing."**

Kieran clenched his fists. He could feel the weight of their situation pressing down on them. They had spent what felt like an eternity in Alexia. No matter how hard they fought, the void was swallowing them.

But to lose their abilities? Their memories?

Would they even be the same people if they accepted?

He turned to Elara, seeing the same conflict mirrored in her expression.

"We don't have a choice," she murmured, voice laced with frustration. "If we stay here, we're as good as dead."

Kieran exhaled shakily.

They could escape. But it would come at a cost neither of them could fully comprehend.

He stepped forward, nodding slowly. "Fine. We'll—"

**A blinding light tore through the void.**

A roar of **energy** crashed into them, rippling through the abyss like a violent storm. The entity recoiled, its form splintering as golden cracks burned through its shadowed mass.

Kieran and Elara **staggered back**, shielding their eyes.

And then—

A **hand** reached through the light.

A familiar voice, raw and shaken.

**"Hold on!"**

Kieran's eyes widened.

**Rebel.**

A surge of power **ripped through the void**, and before Kieran or Elara could react, the shadows **shattered**—and the abyss swallowed them whole.

—

### **The Collapse of Natuka**

Rebel **staggered** as he pulled them through the rift, his body trembling from the strain. The moment Kieran and Elara **emerged**, gasping, Rebel stumbled back, his breath ragged.

Kieran barely had time to register the shift in surroundings before the **sky cracked** above them.

The air in Natuka was thick with chaos. The once-lush forests were **dying**, the magical vines thrashing violently, their mischief now turned into something far more **dangerous**. The ground trembled beneath them, splitting open to reveal fissures of glowing energy.

The world was **breaking apart**.

Elara coughed, struggling to catch her breath. "What—what happened?"

Rebel clenched his fists, his golden energy flickering around him like an unstable flame. "I made a mistake."

Kieran stared at him. "You sent us away." His voice was steady, but there was an underlying **rage** in his tone.

Rebel's jaw tightened. "I know."

"Why did you pull us out?" Elara demanded.

Rebel exhaled slowly, looking at the destruction around them. His expression was unreadable, but his eyes—his **eyes**—were filled with something Kieran had never seen before.

**Regret.**

"I thought I could control it," Rebel admitted, his voice quieter now. "I thought I could save this world my way."

He turned to face them fully.

"But I was wrong."

A long silence settled between them, broken only by the distant sound of the world **crumbling**.

Kieran clenched his fists. "What now?"

Rebel looked toward the portal, still flickering in the distance—the only connection left between Earth and Natuka.

And for the first time, Kieran saw it.

The real **choice** still lay ahead.

And this time… there would be no turning back.

—