The entire forest stood eerily silent, as if nature itself had paused to witness what was unfolding beneath the crimson glow of the blood moon. Aether's breath came in shallow, measured gasps. His shirt clung to his back, damp with sweat, and his knuckles were white around the hilt of his sword. He could feel the latent energy crackling in the air—dense, almost suffocating.
Across from him stood the Eldritch Emissary, its form half-wreathed in shadow, half-revealed in an ethereal silver-blue shimmer. The creature had no face, only a twisting void where its features should have been, but Aether could feel its gaze probing into the depths of his soul.
"I didn't expect you to be the one," it rasped, the words brushing against Aether's skin like dry leaves. "But destiny has strange appetites."
Behind him, Lyra stood firm, her fingers glowing with runic symbols. The sigils around her pulsed in response to the moon above, as though they shared the same heartbeat. Her eyes met Aether's briefly—a silent exchange of trust and urgency.
"Aether, you have to decide now," she called, her voice barely rising over the wind that had begun to howl through the trees. "If you make the pact, there's no turning back. The portal will open. But so will everything else that's been sealed for a thousand years."
He looked down at his hand, the one not gripping the sword. The blood from his earlier wound had pooled in his palm, congealing slowly. It was the final ingredient, the last key to the ritual. He only needed to mark the seal with it, and the gateway between worlds would tear open.
But at what cost?
Aether's mind spun back to the vision he'd had in Chapter 38—when the Oracle showed him a future where Earth and Elaria collided, birthing chaos and beauty in equal measure. Two moons in the sky. Magic flowing freely through city streets. Towers rising where forests once stood. And war. Always war.
"I didn't come this far just to let fear dictate my path," he muttered, then stepped forward.
The emissary tilted its head. "So you will bind your fate to the blood moon?"
Aether raised his hand. "Not just mine. Ours."
He turned toward Lyra, and without hesitation, she pressed her own bleeding palm to his. Their blood mingled in the air, hovering like scarlet mist. The sigils around them erupted in light. The forest trembled.
From the heart of the clearing, the ground cracked open. Red light spilled upward like molten veins, and a massive, circular structure of floating stone and glyphs began to rise. The Gateway of Realms—half myth, half ancient technology—now fully awakened.
The emissary let out a strange, approving sound. "You've done what no mortal has in millennia. But you must now carry its burden."
Lyra swayed slightly, dizzy from the release of energy. Aether caught her by the arm.
"What burden?" he asked, although part of him already knew.
"The pact was never just about opening the portal," the emissary said. "It's a sacrifice. One of the two of you must remain as Guardian of the Gate. Bound eternally."
Aether's heart dropped. He stared at Lyra. "What?"
She smiled softly, even as her legs wobbled beneath her. "I knew there'd be a catch."
"No. No, we'll find another way."
"There isn't another way," the emissary said. "Every gate must have its guardian. Otherwise, the realms will bleed into each other uncontrollably. Magic will drown technology. Time itself may collapse."
Lyra brushed a strand of hair from Aether's face. "You were always meant to walk between worlds. I was meant to watch over them."
"I won't let you—"
She placed a finger on his lips. "You're strong enough now, Aether. I've seen you grow. This isn't goodbye. It's just... goodbye for now."
Before he could protest further, she stepped into the circle of floating glyphs. The blood moon pulsed once—twice—and then bathed her in red light. The glyphs spun faster, etching themselves into her skin like ancient tattoos. The portal behind her stabilized, swirling with blue and silver hues, a window into a new world—Earth, or something like it.
Tears pricked the corners of Aether's eyes. He took one last step toward her. "I'll come back for you."
Lyra smiled through shimmering tears. "I'll be waiting."
With a final flash, the seal closed. She was gone.
The emissary turned to Aether. "You carry the hope of two worlds now. Be careful where you place your heart."
He didn't answer. His gaze was fixed on the portal.
There was no turning back.