The stars above Ayame and Kael seemed to pulse brighter in the wake of their kiss, as if the universe itself had paused—listening, watching, remembering.
For a moment, everything stilled.
Not the heavy silence of danger, but the light hush of something sacred.
Ayame rested her forehead against Kael's. "I'd almost forgotten what peace felt like."
Kael brushed a strand of hair from her face. "Maybe this time, we get to keep it."
But deep down, neither of them believed it.
Not really.
The Custodian stood several feet away, her back to them, gaze turned toward the horizon where golden grass met dark sky. Her silence was uneasy.
Kael noticed first. "Is something wrong?"
The Custodian didn't look at him. "The sky's… too quiet."
Ayame followed her gaze. "It's beautiful."
"That's the problem."
---
They stood together on a slight hill, overlooking the vast field of waving gold. It looked like a painting—perfect, unbroken.
But no wind stirred the grass.
No birds sang.
And the stars above didn't twinkle. They simply watched.
"It's a temporal illusion," the Custodian finally said. "It's… too stable. Like someone froze this moment in amber."
Ayame's stomach twisted. "You said this was a safe pocket."
"It was," the Custodian whispered. "But something found us."
Suddenly, the stillness cracked—just slightly.
A ripple in the air. Like a dropped stone on a mirror.
Then another.
Kael stepped in front of Ayame instinctively. "Is it the Echoes?"
The Custodian's eyes narrowed. "No. This is older. *Deeper.*"
From the edge of the field, the grass began to wither, wilting in a slow, spreading wave. The horizon darkened like spilled ink, devouring color and sound.
Ayame's breath caught. "What is that?"
"A wound," the Custodian murmured. "In the fabric of time."
---
They ran.
Not just to escape—but to buy time.
They needed to think, to plan. The Custodian moved with unnatural speed, guiding them toward an outcropping of ancient stone that jutted like a broken fang from the earth.
As they passed through a veil of mist, the golden field behind them dissolved—collapsing into black.
"It's following us," Kael said.
"No," the Custodian corrected, "It's *remembering* us."
---
The stone outcrop led to a spiraling staircase—not down, but *sideways.* The steps twisted gravity like a Möbius strip, each turn opening into a new sliver of reality. Kael fought the urge to vomit.
Ayame held tightly to his hand, grounding him with her warmth. "Just don't look back."
He swallowed. "Can't promise that."
Eventually, the spiral led them to a sanctuary buried beneath the fields—a domed chamber lit by floating glyphs that flickered with familiar starlight.
Kael looked around. "Where are we now?"
The Custodian faced Ayame.
"In *your* memory."
---
The room pulsed.
Ayame stepped forward, her hand trailing along the stone. "I… know this place."
Images sparked to life on the walls—reflections of her younger self, flickering like forgotten dreams. A moment at the academy. The first time Kael had held her hand. Her mother's voice, soft and echoing.
Then…
A star exploding.
Her scream.
Her magic spiraling out of control.
The collapse.
Ayame stepped back, shaking. "I didn't mean to—"
Kael caught her. "We know. That wasn't your fault."
The Custodian remained quiet, letting the moment pass.
"This room is built from your subconscious," she finally said. "It will show you what you've hidden—even from yourself."
Ayame's eyes met Kael's. "I don't know if I'm ready."
"You don't have to be," he said. "You just have to be *here.*"
---
Another image surfaced.
A future not yet lived—Ayame standing atop a ruined spire, her hair white, her eyes glowing like stars. Below her, the world cracked open, riven by light and darkness.
Kael stood beside her.
But something was wrong. His chest—marked by a sigil. Glowing. Burning.
Ayame's voice in the vision trembled.
"It was always meant to be you."
And then Kael fell.
---
The image shattered.
Ayame staggered.
"No. No, I wouldn't—"
Kael grabbed her shoulders. "Ayame. Look at me."
Tears welled in her eyes. "You died. I *killed* you."
"You *won't.* That's not our future. That's just one path."
"But it felt real."
"Then we change it."
---
The Custodian stepped between them. "That was a memory from a fractured potential. It isn't set."
"But it's connected to her magic," Kael said, "isn't it? That future's one outcome if she loses control."
The Custodian nodded. "Or if someone takes control *from* her."
Ayame whispered, "Like the Echoes."
"No," the Custodian said. "Like *him.*"
---
A shadow slithered across the chamber's domed ceiling. Not shaped. Not formed. But watching.
Kael turned, drawing his blade.
"Who—"
A voice whispered in the back of their minds. Velvet. Cruel.
**"You've remembered too much."**
Ayame's hands ignited with stardust, her eyes glowing. "Show yourself."
"Soon," the voice said. "You'll come to me willingly."
The shadow vanished.
The lights dimmed.
---
The Custodian exhaled. "That… was the Warden."
Kael blinked. "I thought he was a myth."
"Not a myth," she said. "A mistake. One that should have never survived the first collapse."
Ayame clenched her fists. "Why is he after me?"
The Custodian's voice was quiet.
"Because you're the only one who can open the Gate."
Kael's pulse thudded. "What gate?"
The Custodian's eyes were distant.
"The one that ends *everything.*"
---