The ground beneath the plaza erupted. The Veil's tear, a chaotic and unstable tear, was wreaking havoc on their dimension. Cars were tossed aside like toys, lampposts bent and snapped, and the very air was filled with a high, unnatural wind. Koval, recovering her composure, screamed orders to her seizing Alpha units. "Secure Code X! The Veil is collapsing! He is the only tether! We must stabilize him!"
But in the chaos, Kiran saw his chance. His powers were out of control, the seed a wild, roaring bonfire in his chest, but he could use it. He grabbed Elena's hand, his touch searing hot with power. "Go!" he yelled over the cacophony. "Take the book and go!"
"No! I'm not leaving you!" Elena shouted back, her grip on his hand and the Eclipse Codex fierce.
"You have to!" he insisted, his voice raw with a desperate, new purpose. "The book… it's the only way to fix this! The pattern! Find the Weavers, Lyra can help you. I'll buy you time!" He pushed her towards Lyra, who was gesturing frantically towards a new tear in the ground, a hole leading into the subway tunnels below. He looked at her one last time, a look of grim determination and agonizing love, before turning to face Koval, his body glowing with uncontrolled power. He would be the distraction. He would hold them off.
Elena, with tears streaming down her face, let Lyra pull her towards the hole. The ground shuddered, and the old clock tower began to groan, its final, rusted gears giving way. The Veil's tear pulsed, growing, and the very air felt like it was tearing apart. As Elena and Lyra scrambled into the tunnels below, the last thing they saw was Kiran, a lone, glowing figure in the plaza, facing Dr. Koval and the broken remains of her Alpha units, a desperate shield against a coming storm. The fight was far from over, but their paths had split once again, with the fate of their world hanging in the balance.