The cliffs were still trembling.
The Veil pulsed like a wounded heart, its surface rippling with fractured light. Lira lay in Kael's arms, her breath uneven, her mark flickering like a dying star.
Serin knelt nearby, leaning heavily on their staff. Their silver glow had dimmed to a faint shimmer.
Kael brushed a strand of hair from Lira's face. "Lira… look at me."
She forced her eyes open.
Kael's expression was raw — fear, fury, and something deeper tangled beneath the surface.
"You're here," he whispered. "Stay here."
Lira swallowed hard. "Kael… he took part of me."
Kael's jaw clenched. "Then we take it back."
Serin lifted their head. "It won't be easy. The prince now holds a fragment of her soul — the part tied to the Veil."
Lira shivered. "I felt it. Like something was ripped out of me."
Serin nodded. "Because it was."
Kael's grip tightened around her. "Tell us what to do."
Serin looked at Lira, eyes heavy with sorrow. "You must enter the Veil again. But this time… not as a memory. As yourself."
Lira's breath caught. "If I go in… can I come back?"
Serin hesitated.
Kael's voice sharpened. "Answer her."
Serin closed their eyes. "If she enters the Veil in her weakened state, she may not return whole."
Kael's hand trembled against Lira's cheek. "Then she's not going."
Lira pushed herself upright, ignoring the dizziness. "Kael—"
"No." His voice cracked. "I almost lost you once. I won't risk it again."
Lira touched his hand gently. "Kael… if I don't go, the prince will tear this world apart."
"Then let him try," Kael said. "I'll kill him myself."
Serin shook their head. "You cannot kill a man who exists in two timelines. Only she can."
Kael turned on Serin, fury burning in his eyes. "You're asking her to walk into death."
"I'm asking her to reclaim her destiny," Serin said softly. "And to save yours."
Lira's heart twisted.
Kael looked at her again — not as a warrior, not as a protector, but as a man terrified of losing the one person he couldn't bear to lose.
"Lira," he whispered, "don't do this."
She cupped his face, her thumb brushing the cut beneath his eye. "Kael… I have to."
His breath trembled. "Why does it have to be you?"
"Because it always was," she whispered.
Kael closed his eyes, leaning into her touch for a heartbeat — a fragile, stolen moment carved out of chaos.
Then the cliffs shook violently.
A crack split across the stone.
The Veil flared with blinding light.
Serin staggered to their feet. "He's pulling more power. If he succeeds, the Veil will collapse."
Lira stood, her legs trembling. "Then I go now."
Kael grabbed her wrist. "Lira—"
She turned to him, her voice soft but steady. "Kael… find me again."
His breath hitched. "I will."
She smiled — small, sad, brave. "I know."
Serin raised their staff, silver light swirling around Lira like a protective cocoon. "This will guide you. But once inside, you must find the fragment he stole."
Lira nodded. "What does it look like?"
Serin's eyes softened. "You'll know. It's the part of you that hurts the most."
Lira's chest tightened.
Kael stepped closer, his forehead touching hers. "Come back to me."
She whispered, "I'll try."
Then she stepped toward the Veil.
The light reached for her, wrapping around her like threads of fire and starlight. Her mark blazed, answering the call.
Kael reached out — but didn't pull her back.
He let her go.
Lira took one final breath.
And stepped into the shattered light.
The world dissolved.
The Veil swallowed her whole.
And Kael fell to his knees as the cliffs went silent.