After Taufik's figure vanished into the swirling portal, the surrounding space shimmered briefly before falling silent.
Death, still standing in the empty void, exhaled softly. With a casual gesture, she snapped her fingers, and in an instant, reality bent to her will.
In the blink of an eye, she returned to her own realm.
She was once again adorned in her regal attire: a flowing gown woven from the night sky itself, adorned with silent stars and shadows that moved like whispers.
A crown of bone and silver rested upon her brow, and her presence carried the weight of an ancient, inevitable silence.
Death raised both hands, her voice a low hum that resonated through the emptiness.
Then, from the ground, formed of nothing and yet everything, two figures emerged in silence.
