The shadows waited.
They did not move, did not attack, did not retreat. They simply stood there, as if they knew that the choice was no longer theirs to make.
Emiren felt his very essence splitting. One part of him wanted to fight, to set boundaries, to reclaim control. The other… the other understood that this world was no longer his. At least, not his alone.
— You want to live, — he repeated the words of the shadows.
— Yes, — replied the one cloaked in black mist.
— And you want to choose.
— Exactly.
Flamen frowned. He still did not trust them, did not accept their presence as inevitable.
— And what if we don’t allow it? — he asked, the flames in his hands flaring brighter.
The second shadow, the one who left trails of light behind him, smiled.
— Then this will be your last attempt at control.
They did not attack. They did not even threaten. But their certainty was more frightening than any weapon.
Emiren looked around once more. This world was new. Its matter had not yet solidified, its possibilities were still undefined. There was room here for both them and others—if he allowed it.
— Live, — he said.
Flamen flinched but did not object.
The shadows did not nod, did not thank him, did not change. They simply accepted reality as it had become.
And then, the world trembled again.
A New Light
At first, it seemed like nothing more than an echo of their choice. But soon, it became clear—this was something greater.
From the darkness, the first rays of light broke through. They appeared suddenly, cutting through the gloom in thin lines, like cracks in space itself.
Those who had been born in shadow stopped. They gazed at the light as if seeing something like it for the first time.
— What is this? — asked the first.
— Something new, — answered the second.
Flamen stepped forward. He raised his hand, and the fire in his palm suddenly changed. It was no longer just fire. Now, it shone.
— This isn’t me, — he whispered.
The light continued to grow, forming something entirely new. It did not destroy the darkness, did not push it away. It intertwined with it, creating a balance that had not existed before.
Emiren felt his heart pause for a moment.
— The world is learning, — he said.
— As are we, — added the second shadow.
The third, the one made of fragments of glass, stepped forward. He reached toward the light, and his body reflected it, making it a part of himself.
— We are changing, — he said.
— As we always have, — Emiren replied.
The Crossroads of the Future
The world around them was no longer the chaos it had been after the rupture. It had begun to take shape. But now, that shape was not imposed—it was determined by all who existed in this space.
Flamen slowly lowered his hands.
— This isn’t over, — he muttered.
— No, — Emiren agreed. — This is only the beginning.
The shadows no longer seemed like enemies. They were survivors. They were the ones shaping the new world alongside them.
The light continued to expand.
And ahead, there was no longer darkness. Only endless possibilities.