No one moved.
The massive rift remained open, and the presence within it pressed against the world like an unseen weight. The air grew heavier… time itself slowed.
Marley spoke, her voice low but sharp:
"Do not engage it. Not now."
She turned to Violet.
"Come here."
Violet didn't respond. Her eyes were still fixed on the shadow that had… smiled.
"Violet." This time, it was an order.
Slowly, she turned.
Marley stepped closer and reached into her coat, pulling out something small—
A crystal.
It wasn't large, but it wasn't ordinary. Inside, light moved like a living memory, shifting, forming, fading.
Zack exhaled slowly.
"That's…"
"A memory crystal," Marley said. "Preserved… not recalled."
Lexia narrowed her eyes.
"And why now?"
Marley didn't look at her.
"Because she's the only one who might understand… before it does."
A brief pause.
Then she extended the crystal toward Violet.
"Take it."
Violet hesitated.
Just for a second.
Then—
She touched it.
The world fell away.
No sound.
No ground.
Only light… breaking apart.
Then—
A palace.
Tall pillars. Violet curtains. Dim light pouring through long windows. The place felt familiar… painfully so.
Violet stood at the center.
But she wasn't alone.
A soft laugh echoed behind her.
She turned.
Silver hair. Eyes like hers—
But warmer.
"You're late again, Violet."
She whispered:
"…Serina."
The other girl smiled, stepping closer.
"You always are. Late to the moments that matter."
The scene felt too real.
"Is this… the past?" Violet asked.
"It's what you chose to forget," Serina replied calmly.
Footsteps.
Guards.
Voices outside the hall.
Tension crept in.
Serina turned toward the closed doors.
"They're coming."
Violet felt something tighten in her chest.
"Who?"
No answer.
Instead, Serina looked straight at her.
"Do you trust me?"
Violet froze.
The question… wasn't simple.
But still—
She nodded.
A small smile appeared on Serina's face.
"Good."
Then—
The doors opened.
Darkness.
Not like a shadow… but something alive.
It rushed inside.
The guards fell instantly.
The air suffocated.
"Stay behind me!" Violet shouted, her blade igniting.
She charged forward, her strikes fast, precise—but each one passed through… as if hitting nothing.
"You can't fight it like this!" she yelled.
But Serina didn't move.
She stood still.
Watching.
"Serina!" Violet turned.
For the first time—
There was no warmth in her eyes.
Only cold calm.
Then Serina raised her hand.
And the darkness—
Stopped.
Frozen.
As if waiting for a command.
Violet's eyes widened.
"…What did you do?"
No answer.
Serina stepped forward.
"I didn't betray you," she said quietly.
Then she smiled faintly.
"I simply… chose to survive."
The darkness moved again.
But this time—
It didn't attack her.
It passed her.
Toward Violet.
"Serina—!"
She didn't finish.
Black threads wrapped around her, tightening, restraining her.
Her blade fell.
She looked at her sister.
"Why?"
Silence.
Then—
"Because you didn't see what I saw."
Serina approached, kneeling in front of her.
She gently touched her cheek.
"The worlds are collapsing, Violet. And the barriers… are lies."
She whispered:
"And I… opened them."
Everything froze.
Sound.
Light.
Even pain.
"You… broke the barrier…?"
No answer.
But her eyes—
Were enough.
The vision shattered.
Violet snapped back, collapsing to her knees, her breathing uneven.
"—hah!"
Marley caught her before she hit the ground.
"What did you see?"
Violet slowly raised her head.
Her eyes… weren't the same.
"It's… her…"
She stopped.
Her voice came out strained:
"Serina…"
Zack stepped closer.
"What about her?"
Violet looked toward the massive rift.
The darkness within it… was still there.
Waiting.
"She's the one who started all of this."
Silence fell.
Lexia clenched her fist.
"You mean—"
"The barrier didn't break…" Violet said.
Then whispered:
"It was opened."
She looked up.
"By her."
At that moment—
The presence within the rift shifted.
Closer.
Clearer.
As if… it had heard her name.
Then—
A voice, deeper than before, echoed inside their minds:
"The heir… remembers."
Everyone froze.
And Violet—
Didn't deny it.
She only whispered:
"And that means… she's close."
The darkness pulsed.
Once.
Then—
Twice. 🔥