A thin mist veiled the glowing glass floor beneath their feet. Luma, Kael, and Ereth stood before the gate to the third layer of the Fractured Tower. The door opened on its own, revealing a strange chamber filled with shimmering reflections like mirrored walls. They stepped inside—and in an instant, everything went dark.
Luma opened her eyes. She was no longer with Kael or Ereth.
Instead, she stood in the center of a barren plain beneath a blood-red sky. The wind blew with echoes of her past. Before her stood a girl. Beautiful. Regal. Her eyes glowed like the full moon—and her face was hauntingly familiar.
It was herself.
But not the Luma she knew.
"I am Selene. Who are you to bear this name when you've never had the strength to carry the burden of light?" the shadow sneered.
"I'm Luma," she replied calmly, though fear nipped at her heart. "And I don't need to be you to end this darkness."
The shadow laughed. With a wave of her hand, a blast of light slammed into the ground. Luma dodged. The battle began—not just of body, but of soul. Each time she fell, the shadow mocked her weakness, questioned her choices, accused her of forgetting who she truly was.
Elsewhere, Ereth stood in a sapphire-hued desert, surrounded by falling stars. Before him appeared a man in white robes—his father, the former Keeper of Light who had once cast him out.
"You're dead, Father," he said quietly.
"I am only a shadow of your heart, Ereth," the figure replied. "But your true death came long ago... when you betrayed the light you were meant to protect."
Ereth gripped his sword. "I'm not dead. I was given a second chance."
The shadow attacked. Ereth parried, but his strength faltered. Doubt crept in. Yet in the critical moment, a voice echoed in his mind—not from outside, but from deep within. The voice of the ancient guardian that had once saved him.
"You still live because I am not yet done. Use what I've gifted you, and walk the right path."
With renewed resolve, Ereth realized the power inside him was never fully his. It was the final trust of a sacred being. With that strength, he overcame the shadow, and the illusionary gate shattered.
In another realm, Kael stood in his old home. Familiar faces appeared—his mother, his sister, and… his father. But they were blurred, until his father's shadow stepped forward.
"You never understood why I did what I did," the shade said, holding a sword forged of darkness.
Kael froze. This wasn't a foe he could slay. This was a wound that had never healed.
"You left us for power. I live for redemption."
They fought—not to win, but to let go. And when Kael finally brought down the shadow, it broke into light. In a flash, all three of them returned to a chamber of glowing serenity. Their breaths were heavy, but something inside had changed.
Luma stood at the center. The tips of her hair now shimmered with light, her eyes glowed softly. Her face was still Luma's—but there was an undeniable aura of Selene.
"I'm no longer just Luma," she said. "But I'm not fully Selene either."
She raised her hand—white and blue energies merged, balanced, and unified. The power was no longer wild. It lived within her—bound by her will.
Ereth looked at her. "Are you ready?"
"I am," Luma replied. "Let's go to the final layer."
The gate to the tower's peak opened. Silence fell. But just before they stepped forward, a soft, chilling laugh echoed from within.
Two figures emerged from the shadows.
The first—Vaeloth, his cloak flowing, his dark eyes burning with vengeance.
The second—made Luma's breath catch.
"Lyra?"
The girl stepped forward slowly. Her hair flowed loose, her eyes burned crimson, and a thick black aura surrounded her. She had once been their comrade. Now, she stood beside their enemy.
"If you enter the final layer, Luma…" Lyra said coldly, her voice sharp and bitter, "...I'll be the one to destroy you."