The void settles—
slowly, painfully—
as if every shattered piece of existence is waiting to see
what I will do next.
What we will do next.
Because nothing moves in me anymore
without Aiden moving too.
Our shared heart beats once—
a deep, resonant thrum that ripples cracks through the void floor.
Aiden exhales inside my chest.
"…Okay."
His tone is dry.
"…Either we're really powerful… or I'm extremely heavy."
A breathless laugh escapes me.
"You're impossible."
"…And you love me."
"Unfortunately."
"…Liar."
My lips twitch.
But even as we share humor,
I feel it—
a strange, sharp pressure spreading under my ribs,
like our fused heart is too powerful
to be held by a single body.
Aiden feels it too.
"…Liyana… something's wrong."
"I know."
The merged entity drifts closer,
its wings shimmering with threads of every color in the cosmos.
It studies us with unsettling focus.
"The stabilization bought you time.
But not safety."
The Primordial snaps:
"The merge is incomplete!
The Wolf Ascendant cannot exist in this unstable state!"
Aiden growls through my veins.
"…I'm really getting tired of being called unstable."
"You ARE," I mutter.
"…You love that about me."
"Not right now."
But we don't have time for banter.
Because the pressure in my chest sharpens again—
sudden, violent.
"Ah—!"
I clutch my ribs.
Aiden flinches inside me.
"…Liyana—what was that—?!"
"I—don't know—
it's like—something pushing—"
The merged entity's eyes widen.
"It has begun."
The Primordial roars:
"THE REJECTION!"
My heart stops.
Rejection?
"What—what rejection?!"
Aiden tenses hard.
"…Explain. Now."
The merged entity steps forward.
"Your souls merged.
But your forms have not."
I swallow.
Aiden mutters inside me:
"…That doesn't sound like a good 'but.'"
It isn't.
The merged being lifts a hand.
"Your body is still an Ascendant's body.
It cannot hold a wolf's full essence."
My lungs freeze.
Aiden's voice sharpens.
"…So she's supposed to what—crack in half?"
"YES,"
the Primordial thunders.
"SHE WILL BREAK APART—
AND YOU WITH HER!"
Pain spikes through me again—
this time like fire ripping through bone.
I scream.
Aiden roars inside me.
"…LIYANA—BREATH—JUST BREATHE—!!"
"I—I can't—
I CAN'T—!"
My wings flare automatically,
trying to stabilize my collapsing form.
But it's not enough.
Because I feel it now—
a wolf's instinct clawing inside me,
demanding form,
demanding shape,
demanding to exist without restraint.
Aiden whispers—
not angry,
not joking,
not teasing.
Terrified.
"…It's me."
My breath catches.
"Aiden…"
"…It's me pushing.
My soul is too big for your body.
I'm hurting you."
"No!"
My voice cracks.
"No—you're not—this is not your fault—"
But he knows.
He FEELS it.
The wolf's instinct surges again,
forcing my spine to arch,
forcing my lungs to seize,
forcing my Ascendant form to twist in a way it never has.
"STOP—
STOP—
AIDEN—
I CAN'T—
I CAN'T HOLD—"
Aiden shouts inside me:
"…Listen to me—listen—LISTEN—
I can pull back—
I can make myself smaller—
I just need—"
His voice cuts off.
Silence.
Then—
The merged entity whispers:
"He cannot make himself smaller."
My heart slams.
"What—why NOT—?!"
"Because wolves do not diminish.
They expand."
Another spike of agony slashes through my ribs.
"NO—NO—NO—
THIS CAN'T—
THIS CAN'T BE—!"
Aiden snarls from inside me,
fighting the pain.
"…I'm not leaving you—
even if it kills me—"
"It WON'T kill you—
it WON'T—
I won't let it—!!"
The Primordial raises both hands.
"If the merge continues like this—
the Wolf Ascendant will implode!"
Aiden snarls.
"…So what's the solution, genius?"
The Primordial's twelve eyes burn with ancient despair.
"Two souls require a body that can hold two essences."
The merged entity nods.
"One vessel is not enough."
I shake violently.
"What does that MEAN?!"
The merged entity speaks softly—
too softly.
"You need a second form."
My stomach drops.
"A—second… what?"
"A second body."
The Primordial thunders:
"THE WOLF MUST BE GIVEN FORM!"
Aiden falls silent inside me.
Completely silent.
I whisper his name.
"Aiden…?"
Nothing.
"Aiden—please—talk to me—"
Then—
"…I know what they're saying."
His voice is low.
Steady.
Terrified.
"…They want me out of you."
"No—
NO—
I'm not letting you leave my body—
I'm not losing you again—
I JUST GOT YOU BACK—"
"…Moonlight…"
"NO—
NO—
NO—!!"
Another blast of pain hits me hard,
dropping me to my knees.
My wings snap out, shaking.
Aiden gasps inside me.
"…If I stay inside you…
you'll die."
"I DON'T CARE—"
"…I do."
Those two words shatter me.
Tears spill down my cheeks.
"You promised—
you said you wouldn't leave—
you said—"
"…And I'm keeping that promise."
His voice steadies.
"…I'm not leaving you."
"But—
But you just said—"
He whispers:
"…I'm going to take form again."
My breath stops.
"Aiden…"
"…Not leaving.
Not fading.
Not dying.
Just… stepping out."
My chest caves inward.
"I can't—
I can't let you go—"
"…You won't."
His soul flares warmly inside me.
"…I'll still be you.
And you'll still be me.
Two bodies.
One heart."
A vision flashes inside my mind—
a silhouette of a wolf made of starlight
standing beside
a winged Ascendant burning with moonfire.
Not separate.
Not disconnected.
Two forms of the same soul.
Aiden whispers:
"…Let me stand beside you again."
Tears blur my vision.
"I'm scared."
"…Me too."
My wings tremble.
"What if something goes wrong?"
"…Then we face it together."
I choke.
"You swear you won't leave?"
"…I swear."
I lift my head toward the merged entity.
"What do we do?"
It extends a hand.
"Surrender to the split."
The Primordial raises its arms.
"Prepare for bifurcation of the soul vessel."
Aiden murmurs inside me:
"…Deep breath, Moonlight."
I take one.
The last one before everything changes.
My heart—
our heart—
beats once…
THRUM—
The void erupts.
Light blasts outward from my chest.
My wings fracture into stardust.
Aiden's soul tears free—
not painfully,
but like a rebirth.
Silver-gold fire explodes beside me—
rising—
forming—
shaping—
And the chapter ends with:
Aiden's new body taking form in the void—
a wolf of living starlight and shadow—
as his first breath shakes the realms.