Silence fell after the explosion — the kind that existed before sound was ever born. The fractured skies were gone. The mirrored worlds vanished.
Only a single realm remained — a vast, colorless expanse, pulsing with quiet light.
At its center floated Kael, suspended in radiance, her form both human and divine. Chains of Balance flowed in and out of her body like veins of light.
Arka landed on his knees, his blade flickering weakly beside him. He stared at her in disbelief. "Kael…"
Her eyes opened slowly. They glowed white — too bright, too ancient. When she spoke, her voice was layered with countless echoes.
"Arka… you were never meant to reach this far."
He stood, chest heaving. "Don't start that again. We've come through death, gods, and the end of time. Don't tell me I wasn't meant to be here."
Kael's gaze softened, but her light dimmed slightly. "You don't understand. The Balance wasn't created to protect the world — it was meant to reset it."
The words struck him like thunder. "Reset?"
"Yes." She extended a hand, and the space around them shimmered — visions forming in the light.
He saw an ancient world, far older than their own. Stars arranged in sacred spirals. Cities of beasts and mortals walking together beneath twin moons. And Kael — or rather, someone wearing her face — standing upon a tower, holding a blade made of starlight.
"The first world fell to imbalance," she continued. "Beasts turned gods, gods turned tyrants. I was chosen to stop it — to rewrite the order."
The vision shifted: Kael raising the Balance Seal, reality bending under her will. Mountains reversed their fall. Oceans rewound. Entire civilizations were unmade and reborn.
"I succeeded," she said, voice trembling. "But the cost was myself. The Balance needed a vessel to endure the next cycle. So I sealed my own memory and cast my essence across rebirth."
The light faded, leaving only them.
Arka's throat tightened. "You… you made yourself mortal."
Kael nodded. "Until the next imbalance called me back."
He shook his head, taking a step closer. "So what now? You let the Balance consume you again? Let it erase everything?"
Her expression faltered — part sorrow, part peace. "That's the only way the world continues."
"No," he snapped. "That's the way it repeats."
Kael hesitated. The cracks in her light widened. "Arka, if I resist it, everything will collapse. The Rift will devour existence."
"Then we'll rebuild it," he said fiercely. "Together. Without gods. Without cycles."
Her eyes glimmered with conflict — human emotion fighting divine command.
The air began to tremble again. The Warden's broken form reappeared above, chains fraying, voice echoing with fury.
You defy eternity itself. The Source will not allow rebellion.
Kael gasped, clutching her chest as the chains re-tightened. The Balance surged, trying to drag her back into the Rift.
Arka lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her, forcing the pull against him. His skin burned, his soul screamed — but he refused to let go.
"Arka, stop! You'll be erased!"
"Then I'll vanish beside you!"
The world split — one half light, one half shadow. Their combined energy created a storm that shook the heavens. The Warden screamed, unable to withstand the paradox forming between them.
The Balance Mark on Arka's hand merged with hers.
For the first time since creation, two bearers held the Balance together.
Kael's voice trembled. "This isn't how it's meant to end…"
Arka smiled faintly, eyes glowing silver. "Then we'll write a new ending."
The light enveloped them both.
A shockwave rippled outward — vast enough to erase the Warden, the Rift, and the dying skies.
And then… silence.
A single star pulsed in the void.
From it, a voice whispered softly — hers.
"If the Balance resets… remember me not as the First Warden… but as the one who chose to stay."
The star dimmed.
The world began again.