The fire froze in Melania’s eyes. She felt every part of her soul yearning to find balance, but her heart beat heavily, as if nothing could soothe the pain. The time that passed between decisions and reality increasingly resembled the cracks in Eternity, cracks that could never be completely sealed. The uncertainty became so foggy that even Melania, at one point, could no longer understand where her strength ended and where her limits began.
They walked through the dark forest, a place woven with intertwined worlds and thrilling changes. The shadows of the trees multiplied with each step, forming an almost impassable labyrinth. Yet, strangely, there was no sense of threat. Melania and Endar continued moving forward, as if obeying some call deep within their hearts.
“What do you think about this?” Endar asked, trying to start a conversation to ease the tension building between them.
Melania stopped. Her eyes became deep, like an endless sea that seems calm on the surface, but hidden beneath were tumultuous currents.
“I don’t know. Everything is going as it should. And yet… it feels like we’ve become part of something much larger than we can control. But I know one thing: we must finish this journey. It’s not just our battle. It’s a battle for everyone who depends on us.”
Melania closed her eyes to collect her thoughts. Her mind was filled with the innocence of a child and the importance of what they were protecting.
“And Ariyka will be fine. She’s under protection,” she said, though there was a trace of worry in her voice. “We keep constant contact with her. I can’t leave her unattended, even here, in this chaos.”
Endar watched her intently, as always, sensing her unease. He remembered how difficult it had been for them to leave Ariyka for the first time, but now, with the child under the protection of those who guarded Eternity, they could be sure of her safety. They had even entrusted her to the reliable hands of old allies, friends they trusted—those who were ready to protect everything that mattered to them.
“She’s safe,” he said, as if trying to reassure both himself and Melania. “We’re in contact with her guardians. Nothing threatens her.”
And those words were enough to calm Melania’s heart, for she had long been unable to forget the loss. Now, being able to communicate with her, even from a distance, gave them the strength to move forward without feeling the full weight of that loss.
But as they moved on, they once again felt the sky and earth tremble beneath their feet from the unstoppable flow of energy. And then, as expected, at that very moment, a large shadowy figure appeared before them—not just anyone, but the one who had been hiding in the darkness for so long, waiting to reveal his power once again.
It was Astran.
Their old enemy, the one who had tried to reshape Eternity according to his own rules. The shadow of the antagonist they thought they had defeated.
“I’ve returned,” he said with a cold laugh that echoed like thunder in the desert. “And this time, you won’t escape. You’re already on the edge, and even those trying to help you feel how I’m drawing closer.”
Melania and Endar gathered their strength, ready for battle. They knew they couldn’t avoid the confrontation. Astran was not just an enemy; he was a symbol of the old order, seeking to restore his rules on the ruins of what they had created.
“You want to destroy everything we’ve achieved once again,” Melania said, her voice firm and resolute. “But this time, you won’t win.”
“Oh, I won’t deceive you,” Astran replied. “I don’t want to destroy everything. I simply seek to restore order. But your ‘new Eternity’—it’s an illusion. You tried to change everything, and now it’s just a mask. I will be the one to offer the new truth, even if it means sacrifice.”
And that was his final word. He spread his arms, and with every movement of his, dark vortices appeared, devouring the light, creating a vacuum around them.
But Melania and Endar were ready. They couldn’t allow his shadow to enslave them, and they couldn’t let their fight be in vain. They stood together, hand in hand, prepared to face any difficulties, holding on to hope for their child, for the future of Eternity, even as its paths grew darker.