The wind howled as the skies above the Hollowed Wastes roared to life. Jagged streaks of silver lightning arced across the sky, not natural but summoned—called by the Veil itself. The ground beneath Aelria trembled as the last shard settled fully within her, the magic coiling like a storm inside her chest.
Kalien stood firm at her side, his gaze scanning the growing maelstrom. "It's reacting to you."
"No," Aelria said, slowly rising to her feet, her voice steadier than her limbs. "It's calling to me."
Riven stepped forward, sword still dripping with arcane residue. "Then we don't let it take you. We go now—regroup, find a way to—"
"We can't run," Aelria interrupted. Her eyes glowed faintly, silver threading through her irises like fireflies in a dark forest. "The Veil has awakened. It knows the shards have been reunited. If I leave, it'll follow. If I stay… I can contain it."
"Alone?" Kalien's voice was tight. "You want to stand alone against that?"
Aelria turned to him. "Not alone. But I have to go first."
Before either man could argue, a portal split open behind her—an ancient sigil blazing in the air. It wasn't one of Aelria's.
It was the Mirror King's.
But instead of shadows spilling out, a figure stepped forward. Cloaked in mist, his eyes hidden behind a cracked mirror mask, he radiated calm and power. Not malevolence. Not this time.
"I did not bring the storm," he said. "I merely opened the way."
Kalien reached for his sword, but Aelria raised her hand. "Let him speak."
The Mirror King bowed slightly. "You've done what I could not. You gathered the shards. You've become what the stars once promised: the Starborne Anchor."
Aelria's pulse quickened. "Why help now?"
"Because," he said, removing his mask at last, "I remember who I was."
Gasps echoed behind her as his face was revealed—ethereal, noble, and achingly familiar. Not from her visions… but from deep in her soul.
"You were… my mentor," she breathed. "In a life before this one."
"Yes," he said softly. "And now I see clearly again. You are our last hope, Aelria. But to face the heart of the Veil, you must step beyond it. Not just pass through—merge with it."
Kalien's jaw clenched. "That's a death sentence."
"No," the Mirror King replied. "It's transformation."
Riven muttered, "That sounds worse."
Aelria turned to her companions. "This is the path. I have to go into the Veil—truly this time. If I don't, it'll tear through realms. It will unmake everything."
Kalien took a step forward, and for a moment, the fire in his eyes softened. "Then I go with you."
"No," she whispered. "You pull me back… if I don't return."
The Veil howled louder now, a vortex forming in the sky, drawing toward her like a beacon. The air crackled as stars flickered unnaturally bright overhead.
Aelria turned back to the Mirror King. "Open the gate."
He nodded, raising his hand—and with a whisper, the Veil parted.
Aelria stepped forward, her fingers brushing Kalien's hand one last time.
"I'll find my way back," she promised.
"You better," he said, voice rough. "Or I'm coming in after you."
With one last breath, she stepped into the swirling rift.
Light and shadow swallowed her whole.