The room around them was no longer the Throne Core. It was a shifting, infinite expanse—an abyss of pure energy, where time seemed to stretch and bend, becoming something unrecognizable. The throne had been destroyed, but in its place, the world around them was unraveling like a dream collapsing into nightmare.
Aelira and Ethan stood at the heart of the void, the air vibrating with raw, unbridled power. The ground was gone, replaced by a swirling, endless dark—a storm of stars and shadows twisting in on themselves.
And then, it appeared.
The entity—its form ever-changing, a mass of shifting darkness—loomed before them. It was like seeing a storm made of pure thought, a being that was as ancient as the universe itself, and yet, it felt like something even more primal, more dangerous. Its eyes were endless voids, swallowing everything in their gaze, and when it spoke, the words vibrated through every molecule of their being.
"You think you have destroyed me, little mortals? You have only freed me."
Ethan stepped forward, his voice firm despite the fear churning inside. "What are you? Why did you have us destroy the throne?"
The being seemed to laugh—its voice was the cracking of stars, the tearing of galaxies. "I am the beginning. The end. The one who was bound to the throne, but not by your petty gods. I am the force that created them. I am the truth of this universe, long forgotten. You… you are the last pieces."
Aelira's breath caught. "Pieces? What do you mean? We've already broken the throne. We didn't come here to free you."
The being tilted its head, the shadows shifting around its form like living ink. "You didn't free me? Perhaps not. But you've undone the seal that kept your kind from knowing the true reality. The throne was never the prison. It was a gate."
The air grew colder, the very stars themselves dimming as the gravity of the being's words sank in. Ethan could feel the weight of it—like a heavy fog pressing down on his chest, suffocating him with its impossible truth.
"You don't belong here," Aelira spoke, her voice shaking, but resolute. "You were meant to stay sealed."
The entity's laugh was thunderous, shaking the very fabric of the void around them. "You are nothing more than pawns in a game much older than you can comprehend. I was sealed because your gods feared me. But that was a long time ago. Now? Now, I am free."
Ethan glanced at Aelira, his mind racing. "If we're part of this… if we're part of the cycle—what do you mean by that?"
The entity paused, as if considering the question. Then, its voice softened, almost like a whisper—one that rang through their very souls.
"You, child of the stars, and you, child of the throne… You are the keys. You were born of both worlds. You are bound to the truth of this universe. If you wish to stop me, you must choose. Will you accept the power I offer, and bring about the end of all things? Or will you fight it, and in doing so, condemn yourselves to the beginning once more?"
The void seemed to twist with the weight of its words, and a sudden vision flashed before Ethan's eyes—the truth. The endless cycle. The collapse. The rebirth.
Aelira's hand found his, a fierce grip as she steadied herself against the overwhelming force. Her eyes locked with his, and in that moment, they both understood. This wasn't just about defeating the God or the throne. It was about the very fabric of reality—the eternal cycle of destruction and rebirth, the force behind it all, the truth buried at the heart of the universe.
The entity's gaze locked onto them, its form shifting once more into something more familiar—Kaelen's face.
"The choice, Ethan Cross, is yours. Will you ascend? Or will you fall, and witness the world's true destruction?"
Ethan felt the weight of the universe pressing on him, the voices of countless lives whispering in his ear—choices, consequences, worlds lost. His mind was spinning with the possibilities, the power that lay before him, and the sacrifice that would follow.
"No," Aelira whispered, her voice breaking through the chaos. "We will never choose destruction."
Ethan nodded, his hand tightening around hers. "We choose to fight. We choose life."
With a final, defiant surge of will, Ethan reached out to the heart of the entity. The void around them cracked, splitting wide as a surge of light exploded from the Wraithling—an unnatural energy that resonated with the stars themselves.
The being recoiled, its form flickering and warping as it fought against the light. But it was too late. The power of the destroyed throne, the shattered chains of the God, the cycle itself—all of it began to unravel. The entity screamed, its form beginning to fracture, dissolving into nothingness.
But as it did, a single, haunting thought lingered in their minds.
"This is not the end, children of the stars. You have merely… chosen your path."