The air burned.
Alexander stumbled forward, fire coiling around him like a serpent made of stars. His breath came ragged, each step dragging him deeper into a void that was neither light nor shadow but something between—an eternal dusk.
The remnants of the Second Gate still flickered behind him, shards of glass-like reflections collapsing into nothing. His wounds ached, his mind reeled from what he had faced within himself, but his fire did not dim.
Ahead, the Third Gate awaited.
It loomed like a horizon without end—a colossal arch forged of black stone veined with molten gold, its surface shifting as though alive. Symbols burned across it, ancient and terrible, pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat.
And inscribed above it, words not written but felt:
THE GATE OF ETERNITY.
---
Whispers Beyond
Alexander halted, his fire flaring. A thousand voices echoed from within the Gate, layered over each other like the tide of an ocean.
Some whispered his name.
Some begged him to stop.
Some… sounded like Isabella.
"…Alexander…"
"…don't come closer…"
"…if you enter, you will never return…"
He clenched his fists, sweat running down his temple. His fire swirled brighter, defying the weight of the voices.
"I'm not stopping," he growled. "Not while she's in chains."
The Gate pulsed, as though acknowledging his defiance.
---
Isabella's Chains
Far away, Isabella's world shook violently. The cracks in her chains widened, golden fire spilling from them like liquid sunlight. She arched forward, breath caught as pain and hope warred inside her.
But with every fracture came something else—whispers she could not silence.
> "…Free us…"
"…We were here before him… buried, forgotten… we wait…"
The chains were not just her prison. They were bindings upon something older. Something that wanted release.
Her eyes widened as she realized the truth:
Alexander's fire wasn't only breaking her free. It was breaking the throne's prison itself.
The Endless King towered above her, his shadows writhing like serpents.
> "Do you feel it, child? His fire is too wild. It does not distinguish between you and the abyss. He is not saving you—he is undoing all."
And though fear licked at her chest, Isabella still clung to the warmth she felt—the steady pulse of Alexander's flame, reaching for her.
---
The Threshold
Back at the Third Gate, Alexander placed his palm upon the molten surface. The instant he touched it, the world convulsed. Fire roared up his arm, searing flesh and soul alike, trying to force him back.
Visions spilled before him—an endless sea of broken thrones, burning skies, and the faces of those he had lost. His father's cold eyes. The warriors who had fallen beside him. The reflection of himself, bloodied and monstrous.
The Gate whispered:
> "To enter here is to walk beyond time. To conquer Eternity, you must shatter it—or be shattered within it."
Alexander's fire flared, and his voice was steady, defiant.
"I don't need eternity. I just need her."
The Gate split down the center with a deafening crack, molten light spilling like a river of suns.
Beyond lay only fire and silence.
And without hesitation, Alexander stepped inside.
---
The King Reacts
The Endless King turned sharply in his throne. His vast form writhed, shadows snapping like broken chains.
> "No… He has entered. The Gate of Eternity cannot be touched. He carries more than fire—he carries the fracture."
Isabella gasped, the truth striking her. The King was afraid. Truly afraid.
Her chains split wider, sparks of golden fire flooding the void.
And as Alexander vanished into the Gate's heart, his fire burned brighter than ever.