The void's roar faded into a tense silence, broken only by the heavy rhythm of Kael's heartbeat pounding against his chest—louder than the distant collapse of dying worlds.
Before them, the fractured echoes coalesced into shards of glass suspended mid-air, each reflecting a realm, a memory, a broken fragment of what once was or what could have been.
Aeris's eyes glistened with unshed tears as she reached out, fingertips brushing the nearest shard. It rippled like liquid, revealing a vision: a life where they never met—a future lost in regret and loneliness.
"Every choice, every moment we tried to forget... it's all trapped here," she whispered, her voice trembling. "And it's tearing us apart."
Kael stepped closer, his shadow merging with hers. "We can't let these ghosts define us," he said, voice low but fierce. "We have to break the mirrors, shatter the lies."
But as they reached to touch the shards, the void pulsed violently, shattering the glass around them. Fragments exploded outward, slicing through reality, tearing at the fabric of their very souls.
Pain erupted like wildfire—memories collided, fears ignited, and the weight of countless lives pressed down on them.
Kael gritted his teeth, pulling Aeris close as their fractured selves swirled around, trying to drown them in despair.
But amid the chaos, their hands found each other's—a lifeline in the storm.
"Together," Kael breathed.
"Always," Aeris replied.
With a surge of radiant energy, their joined hands blazed like a beacon, mending cracks in the realms and binding the shattered pieces of their hearts.
The void trembled, but for the first time, Kael and Aeris stood unbroken.
Yet far beyond the edge, something stirred—a shadow watching, waiting for their moment to strike.
When worlds fracture and hearts break, only unity can heal the impossible. But what lies beyond the shadow's watchful gaze?