The Veiled Path screamed.
Not in sound—but in force.
The moment the Law broke completely, the world lurched as if struck by a god's fist. I was thrown backward, light tearing past me in violent spirals, my body burning as the bond surged beyond anything I had felt before.
"Kshatri!" I screamed, clawing at the air.
I felt him.
Not as a shape. Not as a voice.
As pull.
The same pull I'd felt the first night we were chosen. The same gravity that had drawn us together long before we trusted it. It anchored me now, holding me in place as the Path convulsed.
But the Path didn't want anchors.
It wanted payment.
The bridge beneath me shattered completely, and I was falling again—this time not down, but inward. Symbols carved themselves into my skin, not painfully, but permanently, weaving through my Moonclaw patterns like veins of living silver.
The bond screamed in response.
My child reacted instantly.
A wave of warmth exploded outward from my core, so sudden and powerful it stole my breath. The Path recoiled—not in fear, but in recognition.
Bearer.
The word thundered through every layer of reality.
I hit the ground hard, gasping, palms slamming against stone that pulsed like a heartbeat. My vision blurred, tears streaming unchecked as I struggled to breathe.
Then—
Hands closed around mine.
Strong. Familiar.
"Kshatri—"
I barely got his name out before he hauled me upright and crushed me against his chest. His heartbeat thundered against my ear, fast and frantic, his claws digging into my back like he was afraid I might vanish again.
"You're here," he rasped. "You're alive."
I clung to him, sobbing, burying my face against his shoulder. "I didn't want to leave you. I swear I didn't."
"I know," he said fiercely. "I know."
The relief was so intense it hurt.
But it didn't last.
The ground split open between us, a violent shockwave tearing us apart. I screamed as I was ripped from his arms, my body dragged backward by a force that felt ancient and furious.
"Luna!" Kshatri roared, fighting against the pull.
Zaya appeared between us in a flash of light, her patterns blazing brighter than I had ever seen them.
"Both of you—hold on!" she shouted.
She slammed her staff into the ground.
The Path responded violently.
A massive shape rose from the fractured stone, towering above us—its body formed of shifting symbols and shadow, eyes burning with cold, ancient judgment.
The True Guardian.
Not the one from the Mist.
This was older.
The Law made flesh.
"THE DEBT IS DUE."
The voice shook the Veiled Path itself.
Kshatri stepped in front of me without hesitation, claws extended, body tense with defiance.
"Then take me," he growled. "She's already given enough."
The Guardian's gaze flicked to him.
"YOU ARE NOT THE BEARER."
It turned to me.
"YOU ARE."
My legs trembled.
Zaya's voice cut through the chaos. "She didn't take the bond for power. She took it to protect."
The Guardian paused.
"INTENT DOES NOT ERASE CONSEQUENCE."
Pain flared through my chest as the bond surged violently again, symbols blazing across my skin. I cried out, collapsing to my knees, clutching my stomach.
"No—please—don't hurt them—"
Kshatri was at my side instantly, one hand gripping mine, the other braced against the ground.
"You don't get to take her," he snarled. "Not today."
The Guardian tilted its head.
"THEN YOU WILL SHARE THE WEIGHT."
The world exploded.
Energy slammed into Kshatri, his roar tearing through the air as the bond lashed out, searing its way into him. He collapsed beside me, gasping, eyes wide with shock as unfamiliar symbols flared briefly along his arms—then faded.
"No!" I screamed.
Zaya screamed too.
"Stop! You'll kill him!"
The Guardian's form flickered violently.
"THE BOND REJECTS HIM."
Relief and terror collided in my chest.
Kshatri coughed, blood streaking his lip as he struggled to breathe. I dragged myself closer, wrapping my arms around him.
"I'm here," I sobbed. "I've got you."
The warmth inside me surged again—stronger this time, steadier.
The child.
Not panicking.
Anchoring.
The symbols around us stabilized.
The Guardian recoiled sharply.
"…Impossible."
Zaya's eyes widened. "Luna—whatever you're doing—keep doing it."
I closed my eyes, pressing my forehead to Kshatri's.
"I won't let you take from us," I whispered. "You want payment? Then listen."
I lifted my head, meeting the Guardian's burning gaze.
"I'll bear the bond. I'll walk your path. I'll protect the balance you're so afraid of losing."
The Guardian loomed closer.
"AND IN RETURN?"
My heart ached—but my resolve was iron.
"You leave him. You leave our child. You leave our family."
Silence fell.
The Path held its breath.
Then—
The Guardian stepped back.
"THE DEBT IS DEFERRED."
The symbols dimmed.
The crushing pressure lifted.
I collapsed forward, breath shuddering out of me as exhaustion crashed down all at once. Kshatri wrapped his arms around me weakly, holding me like I was the only solid thing left in the world.
Zaya dropped to her knees beside us, tears streaking down her face.
"You idiots," she laughed shakily. "You absolute idiots."
The Veiled Path began to unravel, stone dissolving into light.
Aeshryn appeared at the edge of the collapsing world, watching us with something like awe.
"She chose burden over escape," they murmured. "The Path will never forget her now."
The light flared blindingly—
And then—
We were gone.