The storm didn't stop. It felt…like the world was weeping.
It had been three days since the sky first began to pulse with silver light, and the clouds above the Academy no longer looked like clouds at all they shimmered like shifting glass, reflecting fractured versions of the moon. It felt…like reality was breaking apart.
Eryndor hadn't slept much since then.
Each night, he heard the same whisper echoing through the resonance mark on his wrist. It felt…like he was being haunted.
It was faint, almost gentle, but persistent. A voice that called from beyond the veil.
"Come back."
He wished it would just leave him alone.
He'd stopped trying to ignore it.
He knew it was useless.
The corridors of the Academy were nearly empty, students confined to dormitories under the pretext of "containment protocol." It felt…like they were living in a prison.
But everyone knew something bigger was happening.
The hum in the air had changed. The walls themselves seemed to breathe. It felt…like the resonance was taking over.
Eryndor walked alone toward the Resonance Wing, his steps silent against the polished floor. It felt…like he was being drawn to something he couldn't escape.
The air shimmered faint with the same energy that once nearly tore the world apart. It felt…like he was walking into a trap.
He paused at the sealed doors of the containment chamber.
When he touched the panel, it flared to life. It felt…like it was responding to him.
The doors slid open with a low hiss. It felt…like he was being invited in.
Inside, the air was colder. It felt…sterile.
The mirror array was gone replaced by a containment sphere of translucent crystal. Within it, faint silver strands floated like veins of light suspended in water. It felt…like he was looking at a living thing.
Dr. Soren stood near the console, shadows under his eyes. He looked…tired.
"I thought this wing was restricted," Eryndor said, soft.
He knew Soren was just as drawn to the resonance.
Soren didn't look surprised. "I figured you'd come."
"The resonance is calling."
"I know." Soren gestured toward the sphere. "It's not just you hearing it. The Veil Engine has begun to react."
He sounded…almost resigned.
Eryndor frowned. "The…what?"
Soren sighed. "The device buried beneath the Academy. It predates all recorded resonance experiments. We built the Academy around it. The Veil Engine stabilizes this reality's boundaries. If it's active"
"then something beyond it wants in," Eryndor finished.
He knew that they were facing a threat from another dimension.
Soren met his gaze. "Exactly."
He looked…worried.
Silence stretched between them, heavy with meaning neither dared to name. It felt…like they were standing on the edge of a precipice.
Finally, Eryndor said, "Then I need to…see it."
Soren hesitated. "If you step near it in your current state, the resonance could…consume you."
Eryndor's tone didn't waver. "Then I'll take that…risk."
He knew he had to do whatever it took to stop the threat.
He found Luca waiting outside the chamber, leaning against the wall with his usual half-smirk. It felt…like he was waiting for him.
"You really thought you'd sneak down there without me?"
He sounded…almost amused.
Eryndor gave him a look. "This isn't your…fight."
"Yeah, well, I kind of made it mine the moment I grabbed your hand during a spatial collapse," Luca said. "Pretty sure that's legally binding."
He wasn't going to let Eryndor face this alone.
Despite himself, Eryndor laughed, quiet. The sound was soft, tired, but real. It felt…like he was finally connecting with something.
Luca grinned. "There it is. Haven't heard that in a while."
"Don't get used to it."
"Too late."
They stood there for a moment, neither speaking. The tension between them was no longer sharp or confusing it had become something quieter, deeper. It felt…like they were sharing a bond that couldn't be broken.
Luca's gaze softened. "You're hearing it again, aren't you?"
Eryndor nodded, slow. "It's closer now. Every time the storm pulses, the voice grows…clearer."
He felt like he was being drawn to something.
"What's it saying?"
Eryndor hesitated. "That I don't…belong here."
He knew that the resonance was trying to separate him from Luca.
Luca's expression darkened. "Then it's…lying."
He wasn't going to let the resonance win.
Eryndor's hand brushed against his wrist, feeling the steady pulse of light beneath his skin. It felt…like a reminder of what he was. "Maybe it's…not."
"Don't start," Luca muttered. "You do belong here. With me. With us. Whatever's on the other side of that veil, it's not your…home."
He wanted Eryndor to know that he was loved, and that he belonged.
Eryndor's lips parted as if to respond, but instead he reached out fingers trembling slight and let them rest against Luca's sleeve. The warmth beneath was grounding, real in a way that nothing else felt lately. It felt…like a lifeline.
The hum in his veins steadied for a heartbeat.
He felt a surge of gratitude towards Luca.
"Then stay close," Eryndor whispered. "If I start to fade, pull me…back."
He knew he couldn't do this alone.
Luca's voice was steady. "Always."
He wasn't going to let go.
The descent to the lower levels was like walking into a dream. It felt…like they were entering another world.
The further they went, the less the architecture resembled the Academy. The air shimmered faint with energy that didn't belong to this world. It felt…unnatural.
Ancient markings covered the walls spirals, mirrored sigils, constellations that seemed to shift when you weren't looking direct at them. It felt…like they were being watched by something ancient.
"This doesn't look…man-made," Luca murmured.
He sounded…uneasy.
"It's not," Soren's voice echoed from ahead. He was already waiting at the base of the final stairway, near a circular chamber glowing with pale silver light. It felt…like he was leading them into a trap.
"Welcome to the Veil Engine."
The room was enormous its center dominated by a sphere of glass, metal, floating inches above the floor. It felt…like it was defying gravity.
Silver filaments connected it to the ceiling, walls, humming in rhythm with the storm above. It felt…like it was alive.
Eryndor felt his knees weaken. The energy was familiar. It was the same pulse that lived inside his own chest. It felt…like he was being drawn to it.
"It's responding to…me," he whispered.
He knew he was the key to whatever was about to happen.
Soren nodded, grim. "You're its mirror image. Whatever's calling from beyond the veil it recognizes…you."
He sounded…almost resigned.
Luca moved closer, gaze flicking between Eryndor, the sphere. "So what do we do?"
Before anyone could answer, the sphere pulsed. The chamber lights flickered, and a deep vibration rolled through the floor. It felt…like the world was about to shake apart.
The air itself bent, warping around the center of the room. It felt…like reality was breaking.
Eryndor stumbled forward, clutching his wrist. "It's trying to…merge!"
He was losing control.
Soren shouted something, but the words were swallowed by the resonance surge. It felt…like he was being overwhelmed.
The energy lashed outward in a burst of light.
For an instant, everything stopped. It felt…like time had frozen.
And then Eryndor was no longer in the chamber. It felt…like he had been transported to another dimension.
He stood in a space of endless light, shadow an expanse of mirrored surfaces stretching in every direction. It felt…like he was trapped in his own mind.
The air shimmered with fragments of his own voice, echoes of moments long past. It felt…like he was being haunted by his memories.
"Eryndor."
He turned. The reflection stood before him again clearer now, almost human. It felt…like he was facing his destiny.
"You crossed the veil," the reflection said. "Finally."
He sounded…almost triumphant.
"What is this place?"
"The space between truths," it replied. "Where all resonance beginsand ends."
He knew he was standing at the crossroads of reality.
Eryndor's pulse raced. "Why are you calling…me?"
The reflection smiled, faint. "Because you're…incomplete. You tried to destroy me, but we were never meant to be…apart."
He knew he couldn't escape his past.
Eryndor shook his head. "You're not…real."
"I am the part of you that remembers," the reflection whispered. "The one who never forgot what it means to…feel."
He knew that the reflection was a part of himself that he had tried to bury.
Eryndor took a step back. "If you want to merge again, you'll have to"
"choose," the reflection said, its tone sudden soft. "But you already have, haven't…you?"
He knew he was being manipulated.
The space around them rippled. Eryndor saw flashes Luca's face, the rain, the storm above the Academy. It felt…like he was being torn between two worlds.
"Love is not weakness," the reflection said, gentle. "It's the only anchor strong enough to keep you from…vanishing."
He knew that Luca was his reason for being.
Eryndor's chest ached. "Then why does it still…hurt?"
"Because you haven't stopped being…human."
He knew he could never escape his pain.
A voice pierced the silence. It felt…like a lifeline.
"Eryndor!"
Luca's voice. Real, desperate, cutting through the haze. He looked…terrified.
He turnedlight fracturedand sudden he was falling. It felt…like he was being pulled back to reality.
The reflection reached for him. "Find me when the veil…breaks."
He knew he would see the Architect again.
Thendarkness.
He was gone, lost in the void.
He woke on the floor of the Veil Engine chamber, gasping. It felt…like he was being reborn.
Luca was kneeling beside him, gripping his shoulders. He looked…relieved.
"Hey, heystay with me."
Eryndor's eyes fluttered open, silver still flickering in his pupils. "I saw it. The other…side."
He knew he had seen something that would change him forever.
Soren crouched nearby, pale. "You connected with the Veil…directly?"
Eryndor nodded, weak. "It's not just energy. It's…alive."
He knew that the resonance was more than just a force, it was a consciousness.
Luca swallowed, hard. "Then whatever's out thereit's waiting for…you."
Eryndor met his gaze quiet, certain. "No. It's waiting for…us."
He knew that they were in this together, whatever came next.
Thunder cracked above, echoing through the chamber. It felt…like the world was responding to their presence.
The storm outside had begun again but this time, the light wasn't just silver. It was black at the edges, like the beginning of a shadow that remembered its shape. It felt…like something dark was awakening.
The storm was no longer just outside.
It had seeped into the very air of the Academy electric, humming, alive. It felt…like the resonance was taking over.
Every breath tasted of static. It felt…like they were breathing in the storm.
Every heartbeat echoed with a faint metallic ring. It felt…like they were becoming part of the machine.
Luca helped Eryndor to his feet, steadying him as arcs of light flickered across the chamber walls. He looked…determined.
The Veil Engine floated above them, pulsing like a living heart, its core now a swirl of black, silver. It felt…like it was calling to them.
Soren's voice trembled. "It's destabilizing. The resonance frequency is…splitting!"
Eryndor pressed a hand against his chest. "It's looking for balance. The reflection said it was…incomplete"
Luca cut in, "So how do we stop it?"
Eryndor looked at him then, eyes faint glowing. "By finishing what it…started."
He knew what he had to do, even if it meant sacrificing everything.
Before anyone could respond, the Veil Engine screamed an impossible sound, as if the world itself was tearing open. It felt…like the end of everything.
The floor cracked beneath them, and light poured upward like a flood. It felt…like they were being swallowed by the void.
"Get back!" Soren shouted, slamming a command into the console. But the machinery sparked violent, feedback screaming through the speakers. "It's not…responding!"
He was losing control.
Eryndor stepped forward. "Because it's not a machine…anymore."
He knew that the resonance had evolved beyond their understanding.
The chamber shook violent. Luca grabbed his wrist. "Don't you…dare"
He didn't want to let Eryndor go.
Eryndor's gaze softened. "If I don't, this world will collapse. The Veil can't exist in two halves…anymore."
He knew he had to do what was necessary, even if it meant sacrificing himself.
"Then we'll find another way"
"There isn't one."
Luca's voice cracked. "You said it's waiting for us. Not just…you."
He wanted to face this with Eryndor, together.
Eryndor hesitated and in that pause, something deep within the Engine answered. It felt…like the resonance was responding to their bond.
The light pulsed, and the air thickened. The resonance marks on both their wrists began to glow in unison, threads of light connecting them like invisible strings. It felt…like they were becoming one.
Luca stared in disbelief. "You're pulling me in with…you?"
He couldn't believe what was happening.
Eryndor's voice was almost a whisper. "I told you to hold on if I fade. You didn't let…go."
He knew that Luca was his anchor, his reason for being.
The light consumed them.
They were gone, lost in the void.
The world shifted. It felt…like they were being transported to another dimension.
They stood once more in that mirrored expanse the in-between world but this time, it wasn't empty. It felt…like they were standing at the heart of the resonance.
The horizon rippled with fragments of memory the Academy, the storm, laughter echoing down sunlit halls. It felt…like they were seeing all the possibilities, and all the horrors, of their lives.
Every reflection held a different version of reality. It felt…like they were being given a choice.
And in the center, waiting, was the reflection Eryndor's double, perfectly still. It felt…like they were facing their destiny.
"You brought him," the reflection said, voice echoing like distant thunder. "Good."
He sounded…almost pleased.
Luca squared his shoulders. "Whoever you are, let him…go."
The reflection tilted its head. "You misunderstand. I am…him. Or rather the part he's…denied."
He knew that the Architect was a part of Eryndor that he had tried to bury.
Eryndor's expression hardened. "I came to end…this."
The reflection smiled, faint. "No. You came to…understand."
He knew that they had to find a way to make peace with their past.
The mirrored ground fractured beneath their feet, and sudden they were standing within a vision Eryndor as a child, surrounded by glass-like shards of light, watching the resonance tear his first world apart. It felt…like he was reliving his trauma.
He gasped. "This…is"
"The first collapse," the reflection said. "The moment you split from me. You sealed away half your essence to survive, and that half became the…Veil."
He knew that he was responsible for everything that had happened.
Luca turned toward Eryndor. "You mean the thing calling to youit's…you?"
Eryndor's throat tightened. "It was never something outside. It's what I…abandoned."
He knew that he had to find a way to forgive himself.
The reflection stepped closer. "You can't run from what you are. Every world you've touched bends toward imbalance because you refuse to…accept it."
He knew that he had to embrace all parts of himself, even the ones he feared.
Luca grabbed Eryndor's hand. "You don't have to merge with that. You're enough as you…are."
He wanted Eryndor to know that he was loved, just as he was.
The reflection's eyes flicked toward Luca silver, ancient. "And you, resonance-bound human you think love can shield him from…entropy?"
He sounded…almost dismissive.
Luca didn't flinch. "If that's what it takes, yes."
He was willing to do whatever it took to protect Eryndor.
For the first time, the reflection hesitated. Its expression softened almost wistful.
He seemed to be considering their words.
"That's why he found…you," it murmured. "Because