The night in Eternity was not simply a time of peace — it was when the world became most sensitive. Stars, woven into the threads of time, hung low, their light gently enveloping the land like an invisible shroud. But this time, the calm was disturbed. Somewhere deep within the network of Eternity, threads were breaking, and the tremors of this process reached the very foundation of the world.
Melania sat on the doorstep, gazing into the distance where the horizon shimmered with invisible waves of tension. She felt the ground beneath her feet breathe in unease. In her hands lay a thin silver bracelet — a fragment from a world that no longer existed.
— You feel it too, don’t you? — Endar said quietly, stepping out of the shadow behind her. His voice was deep and tense.
Melania nodded without turning her gaze from the night sky.
— Something is changing, — she said. — And it’s more than just cracks in Eternity. It’s someone… or something.
Endar sat down beside her, his face serious. He reached out to touch the threads flickering in the air, but they recoiled as if from a frightened bird.
— They are afraid, — he whispered. — For the first time in years, I can feel their fear.
— Fear or pain? — Melania asked, her voice trembling slightly.
Endar didn’t respond immediately. He knew that pain and fear in Eternity were inseparable. The fabric of the world was sensitive to everything: even the smallest disturbance could be the beginning of great chaos.
— What have you found out? — she asked, turning her gaze to him.
— There’s a faction, — he began after a pause. — They call themselves “Those Who Rule from the Shadows.” They believe Eternity should not exist as a free, living entity. To them, it’s a tool that must submit.
— Submit? — Melania felt her anger boil. — This world was created from sacrifices. It cannot be enslaved without being destroyed.
Endar nodded.
— They know that. But it seems that doesn’t stop them. Their leader… — he hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to speak further.
— Who is he? — Melania pressed.
— His name is Vayret. He was once part of the old Eternity, the one we destroyed. Now he seeks to restore it, but on his terms.
Melania clenched the bracelet in her hands so tightly it almost dug into her skin.
— Vayret… — she repeated, the name sounding like a curse. — If he really survived the old world, he will be a threat to everything we’ve built.
Endar looked at her, his gaze heavy.
— I know, — he said. — But there’s more. He knows about Alia.
Melania suddenly stood up, her eyes flashing with concern.
— No. He can’t…
— He believes she’s the key, — Endar interrupted. — Her connection to Eternity makes her incredibly important. And that puts her in danger.
The words hung between them like storm clouds. Melania felt her fear turn into something else — rage, burning and uncompromising.
— He won’t take her, — she said coldly.
Endar silently nodded. He knew Melania would do anything to protect her daughter, even if it meant plunging back into the battle they had hoped to leave behind.
In the sky above them, a star suddenly flickered out, as if warning them of something dark approaching. The night no longer felt peaceful.
— We must prepare, — Endar said, standing up.
— Yes, — Melania replied, raising the bracelet to her eyes. — And this time, we won’t give them a chance.
Their silhouettes vanished into the shadows of the night, but their hearts burned with determination. Vayret, hiding behind the veil of the past, had no idea what he was about to face.
Eternity may fear, but its creators do not.