The world was quiet when Elara awoke.
She lay in the grass of the Realm of Dawn — the sky pale gold, the rivers of light flowing softly. But everything felt different. Empty.
She sat up slowly, clutching her wrist. The mark was gone. No glow. No pulse.
No Darius.
The silence that followed wasn't peaceful; it was heavy — the kind of silence that follows after something sacred breaks.
Lyssara appeared beside her, eyes soft, expression unreadable. "You've been asleep for three days."
Elara didn't answer. She stared at the horizon where the first light met the fading night.
"He's gone," she whispered. "I felt it. The bond — it burned out."
Lyssara knelt beside her. "You think bonds vanish so easily?"
Elara looked up, confusion flickering in her gaze. "What do you mean?"
Lyssara placed a hand on her shoulder. "The bond doesn't end with death. It returns to the place where it was first born — the heart of the Veil itself. But reaching it…"
"Means going beyond the realms," Elara finished softly.
Lyssara nodded. "No mortal has ever done it. But you, Elara — you're not mortal anymore."
For the first time in days, something stirred inside her chest — not hope, exactly, but something close.
She stood, the wind brushing against her hair, carrying fragments of whispers — faint, distant, familiar.
I'll find you again…
Her chest tightened. "He's still out there."
Lyssara smiled faintly. "Then find him. But remember — love is both your weapon and your curse."
Elara turned toward the horizon, her eyes glowing faint silver once more. "Then I'll use both."
She walked forward, through the glowing fields, her shadow stretching behind her like a pair of unseen wings. Every step she took, the air shimmered brighter.
She crossed the rivers of light, climbed the cliffs of dawn, and reached the edge of the world — where the Veil shimmered like liquid glass between two infinities.
Her reflection looked back at her — tired, scarred, but strong.
She touched the barrier, whispering, "If you can hear me… I'm coming."
The Veil pulsed once — like a heartbeat.
And for a fleeting moment, she swore she saw him on the other side — Darius, smiling faintly, whispering her name.
Elara smiled through tears. "Wait for me."
The light engulfed her completely — and she stepped forward, vanishing into the Veil.
✨ End of Chapter 13 ✨