The palace corridor twisted unnaturally, its stone floor blooming with thorny vines, and in the center of the chamber stood the two women—identical, except for the aura that clashed between them. One was Lyra, firm and fiery. The other, Ilyra—her mirror self—more serene but colder, like the moon to Lyra's sun.
Ren's blade was drawn but trembling. Not from fear of combat, but from something worse—emotional confusion.
"Ilyra," he said, his voice low. "Or... no, that's not it. You're not a stranger."
Lyra stepped forward, eyes blazing. "She's trying to manipulate you, Ren. Don't listen to her."
But Ilyra didn't retaliate. She stepped closer to Lyra, ignoring Ren entirely. "Do you not remember the pact, the split? The moment we were torn—when the divine seal fractured and you abandoned the Bloom?"
Ren's chest tightened. "What are you talking about?"
Lyra's posture tensed. "She's not lying," she said, voice breaking. "She's me. Or at least... she was."
Ren's grip on the hilt loosened slightly. "Explain."
Lyra looked at Ilyra again, this time with pain instead of hostility. "I was divided long ago during the Great Banishment. My divine soul—fractured into two poles. One kept my emotions. The other held my clarity. Ilyra was born from that split. A mirror not of flesh, but essence."
"She carries the parts of you you rejected," Ren muttered.
"Yes." Ilyra stepped toward them now. "And I was locked away in the Bloom's shadow realm. Until you came, Ren Zian. Your chaos disturbed the order of the divine fragments. You woke me up."
Ren stepped between them. "So what happens now? You're both here. I can't... choose between two halves of the same soul."
"You don't have to," Lyra whispered.
The room darkened. A slow pulse beat through the floor. The vines on the walls shimmered as though sensing the shift.
Lyra stepped toward Ilyra. "If we stay apart, I'll remain emotional but blind. If she stays apart, she remains rational but heartless. We were never meant to be divided. That's why I've been... inconsistent. Afraid to show you all of me."
Ren looked at her—his Lyra, the one who fought for him, clung to him, challenged every woman who came near him.
He understood now. All this time, she was only half-whole.
"Then become one again," Ren said softly. "And don't ever hide from me."
The mirror between Lyra and Ilyra rippled like a veil of light. Lyra raised her hands. Ilyra mirrored her exactly.
A rush of divine energy spun around them like a hurricane.
Lyra stepped forward first, pushing her hand into the reflection of herself. Ilyra did the same.
Their forms shimmered. Their voices echoed in unison.
"I am Lyra, the Goddess of Bloom."
A single blinding light burst outward, pushing Ren back several steps. His Chaos Mark pulsed wildly across his chest.
When the light faded, only one woman stood.
She opened her eyes—deep emeralds filled with warmth, logic, power, and desire.
Ren felt it instantly. She was whole.
Lyra walked to him slowly, her fingers brushing against his jawline.
"I remember everything now," she whispered. "Both the warmth I gave you... and the pieces I denied you."
Ren held her by the waist. "You've always been enough, even when you weren't complete. But this—this feels right."
She smiled. "It is."
The palace itself responded—the vines across the chamber bloomed in full color, their petals expanding like welcoming arms.
But the moment of peace was cut short by a tremor from beneath the floor.
Ren's instincts flared.
Lyra turned toward the sealed door ahead. "The next guardian knows we're here."
Ren cracked his knuckles. "Let him know I'm ready."
But Lyra stopped him. "Before that... I must give you the power that was locked away in Ilyra."
She leaned forward, her forehead pressing to his. In an instant, their shared memories spiraled around him—her longing, her pain, her jealousy, her joy. He felt the battle she'd fought within herself. For him. Because of him.
Their lips met—soft at first, then fiercely desperate.
Chaos surged through Ren's veins. His body arched slightly as if struck by lightning. A golden bloom carved itself across his back—a new Chaos Mark.
[Chaos Skill Unlocked: Bloom Resonance – Ren gains the ability to create a zone where time slows for enemies and strengthens his partners within it.]
Lyra pulled back, eyes glowing. "No more fragments. No more illusions. I'm yours. Entirely."
Ren nodded, breathless. "And I'm not letting you go."
The chamber walls finally opened to reveal the next path—dark, cracked, whispering temptations of power.
Lyra gripped Ren's hand tightly.
Together, they stepped forward—not as fractured souls, but as one mind, one mission.
The next battle awaited.