The first thing Darius felt was light.
It burned through his chest, not with pain — but warmth. The kind of warmth that feels like a heartbeat you've lost and found again.
He opened his eyes slowly. The Realm of Dawn stretched before him, bathed in soft gold. The rivers of light flowed calmly now — no storms, no darkness.
Everything was still. Peaceful.
He sat up weakly, breath trembling. "Elara?"
Silence answered.
Her name drifted into the air, swallowed by the breeze. He looked at his wrist — the bond mark was gone. But when he pressed his hand to his heart, he still felt something faint, like a thread of light tugging gently inside his soul.
Lyssara appeared from the horizon, walking through the light as if she'd been waiting.
"You shouldn't be alive," she said softly.
"I could say the same to you," Darius replied, his voice rough.
She smiled sadly. "The Veil restored itself — but not by my magic. By hers."
He froze. "Elara…?"
Lyssara nodded. "She gave herself to the Veil. Became part of its heart. The two worlds are stable now because she's holding them together."
The words tore through him. He turned away, eyes burning. "She was supposed to live."
"She did," Lyssara said gently. "Just not here."
Darius stood in silence for a long moment. The wind brushed through his hair, carrying faint whispers — words he couldn't quite hear but felt.
He closed his eyes. "I can still feel her."
Lyssara's expression softened. "That's because your bond didn't end. It changed. What you feel is the Eternal Thread. It connects your soul to hers — across time, worlds, even death."
Darius's gaze lifted toward the horizon. The sky shimmered faintly — and for a heartbeat, he saw her silhouette in the light, smiling at him.
He reached out instinctively, whispering, "I promised I'd find you."
The wind answered, soft and sure:
And I'll be waiting.
A faint smile touched his lips. "Then this isn't the end."
Lyssara looked at him, the glow of dawn reflecting in her eyes. "No, Darius. It's only the beginning of another story."
He turned toward the rising sun — its warmth wrapping around him like her touch.
And in that moment, though the world was quiet, Darius knew one truth that would echo through eternity:
Love never dies.
It just finds another way to exist.
✨ End of Chapter 15 — The Eternal Thread ✨