The doors closed behind them with a whisper that sounded almost alive.
Inside, the air was warm and weightless — the kind of stillness that made every breath feel too loud.
Light flowed through veins in the walls like liquid silver, forming shifting patterns that pulsed in time with their footsteps.
Lyra looked around, her voice hushed. "It's beautiful."
Arka didn't answer. His eyes followed the light until it converged into a massive crystal structure at the far end of the hall — suspended midair, rotating slowly. Its glow was faint but steady, as if it were waiting for something.
"That," he murmured, "is the Heart of the Sanctuary. The last source of Balance energy still active."
Lyra stepped forward, the crystal around her neck responding instantly. It pulsed brighter, matching the rhythm of the giant crystal ahead.
"Arka," she said softly, "it's calling me."
"Don't touch it yet," he warned. "These sanctuaries were built with sentient cores. They test whoever approaches — body, soul, and intent. If you're not ready…"
"I won't be destroyed," Lyra said, meeting his gaze. "You'll stop it before that happens."
Arka hesitated. "You're far too sure of that."
"Because I trust you," she said simply.
He looked away. "Trust is dangerous here."
She still smiled. "Then we'll survive dangerously."
Before he could stop her, Lyra stepped closer. The crystal hummed louder, and the air shimmered like heat. Runes appeared under her feet — old, sacred, written in the language of Balance.
Light consumed everything.
Arka raised his arm to shield his eyes, but when the brilliance faded, Lyra was gone. The hall around him was empty — no sound, no light, just a faint whisper echoing in his head.
"Arka…"
He turned sharply. The voice was soft, familiar — one he hadn't heard in centuries.
And then he saw her.
Kael stood before him, unchanged. Her silver hair framed her sharp, confident face, and her amber eyes burned with the same quiet fire that once guided him through countless battles.
"You still carry it," she said. "The guilt."
Arka's throat went dry. "You're not real."
"Maybe not," Kael said gently. "But your heart hasn't let me go. That's why the Balance can't heal."
Arka clenched his fists. "I tried to save you."
"And in doing so, you broke what we swore to protect."
The ground trembled beneath his feet. Images flashed around them — the fall of the Balance, the collapse of the starlit city, the scream that tore through the heavens as Kael was consumed by the rift.
Arka fell to one knee, clutching his head. The pain wasn't physical; it was memory turned into blade.
Kael's hand rested on his shoulder. "Let it go. You can't carry both vengeance and salvation."
He looked up, eyes burning. "Then what am I supposed to carry?"
"Hope," she said. "The same thing you gave me once."
Her form began to fade into motes of light. "And this time, don't lose it again."
The vision shattered.
Arka gasped, the world snapping back into focus. He was on his knees before the Heart, the giant crystal still glowing softly. But Lyra —
He turned — and saw her floating midair, surrounded by rings of light. Her body was still, eyes closed, hair lifting in a halo of silver and gold.
"Lyra!"
The ground pulsed under his boots. Runes spread outward like waves, and when her eyes opened again, they glowed brighter than before — not just gold, but starfire white.
"Arka…" Her voice echoed — layered, doubled. Kael's tone was there too, beneath her own.
He stepped closer cautiously. "What did it show you?"
Lyra's gaze softened. "Everything. Kael's memories. Her regrets. Her promise."
She lowered slowly to the ground. The crystal light faded, and silence filled the hall again.
"What promise?" Arka asked.
Lyra looked up at him. "That the Balance wouldn't die with her — that it would find a new vessel to guide it forward. That I'd find you."
Arka's expression shifted — disbelief, then something deeper. "So you were meant to exist."
She nodded. "And you were meant to return."
A faint rumble vibrated through the sanctuary floor — low and distant, like thunder beneath the world. The Heart pulsed again, stronger this time, casting light across the walls.
Lyra frowned. "What's happening?"
Arka sheathed his sword slowly. "The Balance is waking up."
The light intensified until it painted both their silhouettes in gold. For a fleeting moment, Arka thought he saw two shadows instead of one — his and Kael's — standing side by side once more.
Then the ground split with a thunderous crack.
The light turned crimson.
The Heart screamed.
And everything went dark.