The winds above the Plateau of Echoes howled louder now—not like weather, but like warning. The storm clouds churned in unnatural colors: violet, crimson, and obsidian. Each swirl a language. Each flash of lightning a threat.
Russ stood still, arms limp at his sides. The echo of the ancient vision still pulsed behind his eyes.
"One gate must fall," he whispered.
Layla stepped beside him. "But which one, Russ? Yours… or hers?"
He didn't answer. Not because he didn't know—but because the answer terrified him.
Geo, adjusting the controls on his arm-mounted scanner, shook his head. "The Codex is moving. Not just reacting—it's… choosing."
"Choosing between two time-bombs," Minx muttered, tail flicking in irritation. "Lovely."
Vera pointed toward the south. "She's there. I can feel her calling it. The Gate of Blood is opening."
"And she's not alone," Russ added, narrowing his eyes. "The Crimson Dominion is rallying behind her."
---
Far away, in the ruined amphitheater of Val'Karath, Elira stood before a rising vortex of blood and fire. The Gate of Blood.
Behind her, thousands knelt—beasts, witches, warlords, and fallen gods. Every eye was fixed on her.
"You were promised a reckoning!" Elira roared, arms raised. "I bring you dominion!"
A roar answered her. Not from throats, but from the Gate itself. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat. The Codex glyph burned across her chest—no longer branding her as half-blood, but as heir.
"We march!" she screamed. "Toward the end. Toward the selection!"
And with that, the army of the Blood Gate surged forth.
---
Back on the Plateau, Russ placed a hand on the monolith.
The Void stirred. Its gate hummed beneath the stone.
"Then we open ours," he said. "We make our stand here. Not to destroy Elira, but to prevent any gate from tearing the Codex apart."
"You're going to try to stabilize the Veil?" Geo asked, mouth dry.
"I'm going to try," Russ replied. "Even if it kills me."
Layla grabbed his arm. "And if it does kill you?"
"Then you close the gate," he said softly. "And you run."
She didn't let go. "Not happening."
---
That night, as the sky turned to ash and both moons bled crimson, two gates pulsed on opposite sides of the continent. The Gate of Void. The Gate of Blood.
Each bore a name.
Each demanded sacrifice.
And in the space between them, destiny sharpened its blade.