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CHAPTER 48 — The Girl Who Shouldn't Exist
The world rushed past Aren in a blur of shattered sky and screaming wind. The tear above widened as he ascended toward it, the World Heart inside him burning so fiercely he could feel the heat in his teeth. The floating continent fell away beneath him, chunks of land spiraling into the void like dying stars.
Liora's voice echoed faintly below, but Aren could no longer hear her words. All he could see was the girl—her—the one who had started everything.
The girl chained in the sky.
The girl whose existence he had tried to forget.
The closer he drew, the more the air changed. It wasn't wind anymore—it was memory. It pressed against him, whispering fragments of the past he didn't want to relive.
A boy swallowed by loneliness.
A world that wasn't real, yet felt realer than his own.
The first time he saw her—smiling through her sadness, begging him not to leave.
He gritted his teeth and pushed forward, forcing the memories aside.
This wasn't the time to break.
The shadow blocking the tear shifted. Its form dimmed and sharpened, taking shape like smoke forced into flesh. Two massive wings unfurled behind it, blotting out the light. Its voice slithered into Aren's ears once more.
"You shouldn't be here, child of the broken realm."
Aren's grip tightened on his sword. "Get away from her."
The shadow tilted its head, amused. "She is the anchor that keeps this world from collapsing. Without her, your precious adventure ends."
"She's a person," Aren snapped. "Not a tool."
"A person?" The shadow laughed, a hollow sound that made Aren's skin crawl. "She was never born. She was created. A construct. A sacrifice. A heart that beats only because your world demands it."
Aren hesitated—not in disbelief, but in fury.
He knew lies.
He knew truth.
This was neither. This was manipulation wrapped in truth.
The girl raised her head, eyes watery and shining. "Aren… please… don't listen. Don't believe him. Even if I wasn't meant to exist… you were the only reason I ever felt alive."
His chest tightened.
He reached a hand toward her.
Chains crackled, glowing brighter as if warning him not to touch.
The shadow moved instantly, its massive claw descending like a falling mountain.
Aren swung his sword upward.
The collision lit up the sky.
A shockwave exploded outward, tearing the already ruined continent further apart. Aren was flung backward, spinning through the air, but he forced himself to stabilize. The shadow rushed toward him again, faster this time.
But Aren wasn't the same boy from Chapter 1.
He wasn't the same boy from Chapter 21.
He wasn't even the same boy from minutes ago.
The World Heart flared, lines of light racing across his skin. His sword surged with power that felt ancient and angry—as if the world itself had grown tired of being silent.
He charged forward.
The battle was nothing like the ones before.
The shadow's power wasn't magic—it was the will of the realm itself. Every strike shook Aren's bones. Every clash forced his memories to surface. Every moment felt like the world was trying to pull him apart and rebuild him into something else.
But Aren didn't stop.
Not when he tasted blood.
Not when his vision blurred.
Not when the sky itself tried to swallow him.
Because through it all, the girl's voice echoed softly:
"Aren… I'm waiting…"
That was enough.
With a roar, he cleaved through one of the shadow's wings. It shrieked, stumbling backward. The golden chains around the girl flickered.
Aren saw his chance.
He rushed upward, reaching for the chains around her wrists—
—and froze.
The moment his fingers touched the light, agony shot through him. It wasn't physical pain—it was truth. Pure truth, burning through him like fire.
Images crashed into his mind:
The girl being created.
The world forming around her.
Her forced destiny.
Her plea for freedom.
And…
His own world, faint and distant, like a fading dream.
Aren staggered, nearly falling.
She whispered, "I'm sorry… I didn't want you to see that."
A tear slipped down her cheek.
He grabbed the chains again, ignoring the pain.
"You don't ever have to apologize," he said through gritted teeth. "I'm getting you out."
The shadow roared behind him, wings of darkness spreading wide.
"You break her chains," it thundered, "and this entire world will collapse!"
Aren didn't turn.
He didn't think.
He didn't hesitate.
He looked the girl in the eyes and said, "Then let it collapse."
Her breath caught.
The shadow lunged.
Aren swung his sword.
And the first chain shattered.
The sky screamed.
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