The light from my palm had barely faded when I felt it again—a hum deep beneath my skin. Not pain, not magic.
Desire.
It was alive inside me now, pulsing with every breath, every heartbeat, every thought.
The realm around us responded instantly. Mountains rose where I looked. Rivers flowed backwards with a blink. The stars overhead formed constellations in the shapes of my memories.
"This place is dangerous," Kael said, watching the ever-changing horizon. "It feeds off your emotions. Even your stray thoughts could create... or destroy."
I clenched my fists, trying to still my racing mind.
Riven walked a slow circle around me, gaze sharp. "You're holding back. Why?"
"Because I'm afraid," I admitted. "This power—it listens to my desire, not my reason. What if I lose control? What if I hurt you both?"
"You won't," Kael said quickly. "We trust you."
"Even when you don't trust yourself," Riven added. "That's why we're still here."
I smiled, grateful—but the unease didn't fade.
Because somewhere deeper, a voice had begun whispering.
Not outside. Inside.
Why share this power, Seraphina? Why not shape the world alone? They held you back. Let go. Let it all go.
I shook my head and backed away, stumbling to the edge of a floating cliff.
Kael reached for me. "Sera—"
"I'm fine," I lied.
But the mark on my arm was glowing again—no longer gold and black, but a dark, deep violet. A new color. One I hadn't summoned.
"Sera," Riven said slowly, stepping beside Kael. "That voice in your head… it's not you, is it?"
I didn't answer.
Because the truth terrified me.
The Loom had shattered—but its essence, its will, had been buried in the threads. And I had touched them all. I hadn't just broken fate. I had inherited it.
Suddenly, the ground cracked beneath my feet. A violet thread rose from the cliff and coiled around my ankle.
Kael moved fast, slicing it apart.
Riven stepped in front of me. "You're not alone in this, Sera. Don't fight it alone."
But I couldn't speak.
Because in that moment, I realized the truth:
I hadn't just freed the world.
I had awakened something that had been asleep for eons—
And now, it wanted me.
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