Chapter 7: The Merged Horizon
204 Words
When Kaelia’s vision cleared, the palace sanctum was gone. In its place was a sprawling courtyard that existed in a state of impossible flux. One half of the pillars were pristine marble; the other half were scorched obsidian. The sky above was neither gold nor violet, but a soft, swirling silver.
"Kae?" Kalu’s voice was shaky. He was standing on a patch of glass that looked like frozen water, his hands trembling.
"I'm here," she gasped. She looked at her hands. They were solid, but they hummed with a faint, neon resonance.
Valen stood a few paces away. He looked different—the heavy, scarred armor remained, but the haunting obsession in his eyes had been replaced by a stunned, fragile hope. He looked at the sky, watching the silver clouds drift over the spires.
"The Bleed... it stopped," Valen whispered. "The worlds didn't shatter. They folded."
"They had to," Kaelia said, picking up the crown. It was no longer silver or black, but a clear, radiant crystal. "The Priestess tried to keep them apart to maintain her power, and the friction was killing both. Now... now we just have to learn how to live in the overlap."
- Writer
