"Some doors aren't locked to keep people out. They're locked to keep something in."
— Eon Thalor
Scene 1: The Message from Eon
The Five stood beneath the now-living Citadel Flame.
Kaien in the center. Olivia beside him. The others calm, curious — but tense.
A rift opened without warning.
Eon Thalor stepped through.
No weapon. No fire. Just gravity in the shape of a man.
"There is a gate hidden beyond the Chrono Expanse."
"Rahul sealed it at the beginning of his rise — before he was known."
"He left no record. No memory. No entry in the Book of Echoes."
Kaien frowned.
"Why?"
"Because he didn't close it to hide from it," Eon said.
"He closed it… so he'd never be tempted to open it again."
Scene 2: The Five Agree to Enter
Aeyra bit her lip.
"So what's behind it? A god?"
Eon: "No. A choice."
Valenya asked the real question.
"Then why are we being asked to open it?"
Eon: "Because something else already is."
"And only those bound by will, not prophecy, can stop it."
The Five stood in silence.
Kaien nodded first.
"We face it together."
Olivia: "Even if the stars break."
The others answered with action — a step forward. No hesitation.
Scene 3: Journey to the Gate
The team rode astral riftstreams — rivers of reality shaped by voidlight and ancient physics.
Aren monitored energy.
Valenya kept the route stable.
Aeyra slept curled next to Kaien, head on his shoulder.
Olivia sat beside him, watching his eyes.
"You don't have to be him," she whispered.
"I know."
"You're stronger than he ever was."
"Not stronger," Kaien said softly.
"Just… not alone."
Scene 4: The Gate Revealed
The stars around them vanished.
They reached the edge of time.
There it stood:
A gate without shape, made of static, shifting memories, and broken laws.
Symbols in Rahul's handwriting spun around the arch.
"Do not open. Not for vengeance. Not for answers. Not for me."
But it was already cracked.
Voidlight bled through.
Something… breathing.
Olivia's pendant pulsed. Aeyra's third eye shimmered faintly. Kaien's hands lit with Voidflame.
"It's calling to me," Kaien said.
Scene 5: Before They Cross
The Five stood before the Gate.
Each one touched it.
And in that moment — they were shown what they feared most:
Kaien: His family, dead, by his hand Olivia: Herself becoming the voice of the enemy Aeyra: Kaien dying and her being too late Valenya: Bowing before an enemy to save her brother Aren: Watching the others die while he survived
Kaien turned to the others.
"That was the test."
"If we go in afraid, we lose."
"But if we go in together—"
"We rewrite the story."
He stepped forward.
The others followed.
And the gate opened.