The bridge was breaking.
Stone cracked and fell into the endless black beneath, each piece swallowed without a sound. The air smelled of iron and ash, and every breath burned Liora's lungs.
Kaelen stood just a few steps away, the Heart of the Abyss pulsing in his chest like a second heartbeat. Its glow painted his face in shifting shades of crimson and black.
"Turn back," he said again, his voice quieter now, almost pleading.
But Liora's mind was a storm.
If he was telling the truth, the Council had betrayed them all.
If he was lying… then the Abyss had already taken his soul.
Her fingers curled tighter around the Severing Blade until her knuckles whitened. The runes along its edge flared, as if sensing her turmoil.
> "If you truly love me… you'll turn back."
She took one step forward. The stone beneath her foot cracked, dangling over the void.
"I didn't come all this way to leave you here," she said, her voice trembling but firm. "If the Heart will kill you, then I'll tear it out myself."
Kaelen's shadow writhed violently, rising behind him like wings made of night. "You don't understand. The moment you touch it, it will bind to you. You'll never be free."
"Maybe I don't want to be free," she shot back. "Not if it means losing you."
For a long moment, they just stared at each other—her eyes burning with defiance, his with an emotion she couldn't name.
Then the bridge shuddered violently.
A crack split the path between them, widening with each heartbeat. The void below roared, and whispers rose up from it, calling her name.
Liora had seconds to decide.
Choice 1: Leap across the gap, drive the blade into the Heart, and try to save Kaelen no matter the cost.
Choice 2: Step back, trust his words, and walk away before the Abyss claimed them both.
The world seemed to hold its breath.
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