The Void
Silence.
Aria opened her eyes to nothingness. No ground, no sky—just an endless void that pulsed like a heartbeat. She floated weightless, her body trembling, her breath loud in her ears.
"Damian?" Her voice cracked, swallowed by the void.
No answer.
Panic flared in her chest. She twisted, searching, her heart hammering. "Damian!"
At last—a flicker of gray light. She rushed toward it, feet moving though there was no ground, her lungs straining as if she were drowning.
The light sharpened into a figure. Damian. He drifted unconscious, suspended in the emptiness.
Aria's relief crashed into dread. She reached him, clutching his shoulders. His body was cold, his lips pale. His wound still bled, the crimson drops vanishing into the void.
Tears blurred her vision.
"No, no, no. You can't leave me here. Not like this."
The Rift
The void trembled. Cracks of gold light split the darkness, widening with each heartbeat. From them leaked whispers—low, hungry, familiar.
> Every lifetime ends the same.
You cannot save him.
Aria's hands shook as she pressed them to Damian's wound.
"I won't lose him again. I don't care what it takes."
The cracks widened, spilling light and shadow alike. Through them she glimpsed fragments—other lives, other deaths.
She saw herself as Evelina, falling into Damian's arms as poison stole her last breath.
As a warrior, cut down while shielding him from arrows.
As a healer, burning at the stake while he screamed her name.
Each memory tore at her soul. Yet she held him tighter.
"No more. I won't let the past decide our future."
The Trial of Souls
From the fissures stepped figures. Not spirits of regret this time, but shadows wearing her face.
Dozens of Arias surrounded her—each from a past life, each marked by loss. Their eyes glowed with sorrow and accusation.
"You will fail him."
"You always do."
"You are the reason he suffers."
Aria's throat tightened. Her legs wobbled under the weight of their stares.
Then one stepped forward—Evelina. Her golden gown shimmered faintly, her eyes filled with both grief and love.
"You can't escape the cycle," Evelina whispered. "You'll only bring him more pain."
Aria's lips trembled. For a heartbeat, she wanted to believe her. To surrender.
But then Damian stirred faintly in her arms, his lips parting. A breath, a word, barely audible.
"Aria…"
Her heart clenched. She lifted her head, meeting Evelina's eyes with fire.
"No. You're wrong. I'm not here to repeat your ending. I'm here to write a new one."
The Awakening of the Chain
Her words rang like a bell.
The void shuddered. The shadows screamed, dissolving into dust. Evelina's face softened into a smile—sad, but proud—before she too faded.
And in Aria's chest, something unlocked. A warmth surged through her veins, blazing bright.
Symbols lit her skin—ancient runes, pulsing with life. Her bond with Damian glowed, threads of light wrapping around his wound, sealing it slowly.
Damian's eyes fluttered open. Weak, but alive. His gaze locked onto hers.
"You… saved me."
Her tears spilled freely.
"No, Damian. We saved each other."
The Forgotten One's Shadow
But peace was fleeting.
The void convulsed, cracks splitting wider. From within rose a colossal silhouette—horned, monstrous, golden eyes blazing like suns.
The Forgotten One's voice shook the emptiness.
> "You think love can defy eternity? You are nothing but a link in the chain I forged."
Aria's fists clenched, light burning brighter around her. For the first time, she didn't cower.
Her voice rang steady.
"Then I'll break your chain."
Damian forced himself upright, standing beside her despite the weakness still lingering in his body. His sword gleamed with light, resonating with her power.
Together, they faced the towering shadow.
The Forgotten One laughed, a sound like shattering worlds.
> "Then face me, children of fate. And be broken.
The void erupted in blinding light as battle began.
The Clash in the Void
The Forgotten One's form towered above them, his golden eyes burning like suns. The void trembled with every step he took, cracks splintering out into endless nothingness.
Aria's power still glowed across her skin, her runes pulsing with each heartbeat. Damian stood at her side, his sword steady though his body still bore the weight of his wounds.
"Ready?" he whispered.
Aria swallowed her fear, tightening her grip on his hand.
"Always."
The Forgotten One roared, his voice splintering reality itself. Shadows surged like a tidal wave, crashing toward them.
Damian swung his blade, carving light through the darkness, while Aria thrust her palms forward. Flames of silver and gold erupted from her hands, colliding with the shadows in a thunderous explosion.
The void screamed.
The Chains of Fate
The shadows tried to bind them, forming chains of black fire. One lashed around Damian's arm, dragging him down.
"Damian!"
Aria's heart lurched. She dove forward, light searing from her hands as she gripped the chain. The shadows burned her skin, but she refused to let go.
"No more chains! Not for him!"
Her runes flared, blasting the binding apart. Damian surged free, his sword blazing brighter than ever.
He looked at her, awe in his storm-gray eyes.
"You're stronger than all of them."
She smiled through tears.
"No—we're stronger together."
The Forgotten One Strikes
The Forgotten One's golden hand slammed down, shaking the void like an earthquake. Damian shoved Aria aside, raising his blade to block.
The impact cracked his knees, drove him to the ground. Blood filled his mouth, but he held firm.
The shadow sneered.
> "How many times must you die for her, boy?"
Damian spat crimson, his eyes fierce.
"As many times as it takes."
He pushed upward, defying the crushing weight. Aria rushed to his side, adding her light to his strength. Together, they forced the massive hand back.
The void rippled. The Forgotten One staggered. For the first time—he faltered.
The Revelation
Aria's light pierced deeper into the void. For a heartbeat, she glimpsed beneath the Forgotten One's monstrous form.
A man. Once human. His face was twisted with rage and sorrow, but his eyes—his eyes were familiar.
Her chest tightened. "You… you were one of us."
The Forgotten One's form flickered, his voice breaking into a growl.
> "I was love betrayed. I was hope abandoned. And now I am your doom."
Damian's hand tightened on his sword. His jaw clenched.
"He's bound to the same curse."
Aria's tears stung, but she didn't falter. "Then we'll end it—for all of us."
The Final Stand
The Forgotten One unleashed his full power. The void shattered, fragments of stars swirling like knives.
Damian raised his blade, runes glowing along its edge. Aria lifted her hands, light blazing through her veins.
Together, they leapt.
Light and shadow collided in a storm that tore the void apart. The Forgotten One screamed, his monstrous form unraveling, his golden eyes dimming.
But as he dissolved, he laughed.
> "Break me… and you break the world with me."
The void convulsed. The cracks widened into abysses. Reality itself began to collapse.
Aria clutched Damian's hand as the ground beneath them split into nothingness. Stars fell, light burned, and the void tore open like a wound.
Her scream echoed through the shattering dark.
"Damian!"
His arms wrapped around her, holding her close as they were pulled into the abyss. His voice was steady, even as the world dissolved around them.
"Together, no matter where it takes us."
The last thing she saw was his eyes—gray, unwavering—before the void swallowed them whole.
And then, there was nothing.