The light they poured out washed over the shadowy avatar, illuminating its form and revealing layers of history and truth that had been hidden since time began. The darkness did not recoil or attack. Instead, it trembled, and for the first time, the Void showed something other than cold emptiness. It showed longing.
“You feel it, don’t you?” Kael said, stepping forward without fear. “You are not just destruction. You are loss. You are what was left behind when the very first bond was broken. You are the echo of a love that was torn apart, and you have been alone ever since.”
The avatar swirled and shifted, its voice sounding less like wind and more like a cry of pain. “I was whole once. I was part of everything. But when separation was chosen, I became what I am. All the connection, all
