The Realm of Mirrors faded, and Kaelis and Selara found themselves standing once more in Elyndra—though not the Elyndra they knew. The streets were eerily quiet, the lanterns dim, as though the city were caught between dream and waking. Orin stood before them, his cloak flowing like mist, his expression grave.
"You endured," Orin said, his voice carrying both approval and sorrow. "But endurance is not enough. You deserve the truth."
Selara, still pale from the battle, stepped forward. "You knew, didn't you? About Maelor. About the curse."
Orin's silver eyes flickered. "Yes. I knew. Because I was there when the curse was born."
Kaelis stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Orin raised his hand, and the air rippled. The world around them shifted, revealing a vision of the past: a young man, noble and proud, standing before a council of Elyndra's leaders. His eyes burned with ambition—eyes Kaelis instantly recognized.
"Maelor," Kaelis whispered.
Orin nodded. "Once, he was Elyndra's heir. Brilliant, gifted, beloved. But power consumed him. He sought to bind dreams and reality into one. When the council denied him, he tore open the barrier between realms. The shadows answered his call, and with them… the curse."
The vision shifted—Maelor screaming as darkness engulfed him, Selara's ancestors standing in chains of light, the curse binding itself to their bloodline.
Selara trembled. "So it's true. I carry his legacy."
"No," Orin said firmly. "You carry the remnant of his sin. The curse does not define you, Selara. But it hungers for you, because you are strong enough to resist it."
Kaelis stepped closer to her, his voice steady. "And that's why Maelor wants her—to finish what he started."
Orin's gaze settled on both of them. "The prophecy is older than Maelor, older than Elyndra itself. It speaks of two souls—one who feels the hearts of others, and one who shapes the world through illusion. Together, they are the key. Their bond may heal the fracture between realms… or shatter it beyond repair."
Kaelis's stomach tightened. "So it's us."
"Yes," Orin said softly. "You are the prophecy. And Maelor will stop at nothing to twist your bond into his weapon."
Silence fell. Selara's hands clenched at her sides. "If what you say is true, then fate gave us no choice. We're trapped in this."
Orin's eyes glimmered with something unreadable. "Fate gave you the bond. What you do with it… is your choice."
The vision faded, and the strange half-dream city dissolved into the familiar streets of Elyndra. But nothing felt the same. The weight of truth pressed heavily on Kaelis's chest, even as Selara stood beside him.
Kaelis reached for her hand. She didn't pull away.
"Then we'll choose," he said quietly. "And we'll make sure it's not destruction."
Selara glanced at him, her lips curving in the faintest of smiles. "I hope you're right."
Above them, the sky darkened, a ripple of shadow spreading like ink across the heavens—Maelor's promise that this was only the beginning.