After passing the second trial, the light around Kael and Lira faded.
The floor stopped glowing, and the air became still again.
Lira leaned against Kael, breathing slowly.
Her heartbeat was steady now — the same rhythm as his.
Kael brushed her cheek gently.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded. "Just tired… but I'm fine."
The path ahead glowed faintly, leading deeper under the Sanctuary.
Kael supported Lira as they walked forward together.
The voice returned:
"The third trial awaits.
It shows not who you were…
but who you may become."
Lira swallowed nervously.
"Kael… I don't like the sound of that."
Kael squeezed her hand.
"We face it together. No matter what."
They stepped through the glowing doorway.
The air changed instantly.
A new space formed around them — a normal village road under a bright sky.
Children ran around. People smiled. Flowers grew next to houses.
Lira stared in surprise.
"This… this looks peaceful."
Kael looked confused too.
"This isn't a trial. It's a dream."
"No," the voice answered.
"This is a future that could happen."
Then Lira saw something.
A little girl ran toward her — around four years old, with soft black hair and silver eyes.
"Mama!"
Lira froze.
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
The little girl hugged Lira's leg tightly.
"Mama, look! I picked this flower for you!"
Lira gently touched the girl's hair, her hands shaking.
"Kael…" she whispered. "She… she looks like us."
Before Kael could speak, another figure appeared — a tall man walking toward them.
He looked like Kael.
But older.
Calmer.
eyes softer than the Kael standing beside Lira now.
He walked up to Lira and gently touched her shoulder.
"You're late," the older Kael said softly. "Come inside. Dinner is ready."
Lira couldn't speak.
She looked at the older Kael… then at the child.
Tears slowly filled her eyes.
The younger Kael beside her felt something twist inside his chest.
A mix of fear, hope, and something he had no name for.
The voice of the Sanctuary whispered:
"This is a possible future."
"A future where your bond brings life instead of death."
But then the image flickered — like a candle struggling to stay lit.
The village darkened.
Smoke rose from the sky.
Screams filled the air.
Lira reached out. "No—wait!"
Everything burned.
Houses fell.
The little girl cried.
The older Kael fought knights in red armor.
Blood spread across the ground.
Lira screamed, "STOP!"
The scene shattered.
The peaceful future was gone.
The destroyed future vanished with it.
Kael and Lira stood alone in an empty black space again.
Lira fell to her knees, crying hard.
"That child… Kael… we had a child…"
Kael knelt beside her, shaking.
"I saw it too."
Lira looked at him with trembling eyes.
"Is that really our future?"
The Sanctuary answered:
"It is one of many futures."
"But only one path leads there… and many paths lead to ruin."
Kael held Lira tightly.
The voice continued:
"To reach the future you saw, your bond must survive…
and so must both of you."
Lira whispered, scared:
"Kael… I don't want to lose that future…"
Kael hugged her closer.
"You won't," he said softly.
"I'll fight for it, Lira. I swear."
But inside…
He was terrified.
Because the future they saw could be a blessing
or a warning.