The fortress shattered into a million burning fragments, revealing sunlight and laughter beyond.
Kai's realm looked deceptively simple—a forest bathed in perpetual twilight, the air warm and humming with life. But the laughter echoing through the trees wasn't his own.
Dozens of illusions flickered around him—Samantha in danger, Marcus bleeding, Callum turning to stone, Nova's cry splitting the air.
Each time he ran toward one, the others vanished. He was always too late.
"See?" his reflection said, stepping out from between the trees, grinning cruelly. "You joke, you laugh, you make light of everything. But you can't save them all."
"I'm not supposed to save them alone."
The reflection sneered. "Then why do you keep trying?"
Kai stopped running. He closed his eyes and listened—to the faint hum beneath the chaos. The pulse of their bond.
When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't alone. He could feel them—Samantha's warmth, Marcus's steadiness, Callum's fire. He smiled.
