The light vanished, leaving only darkness and shadow. The heroes stood by the restored Nexus, but the sense of danger still clung to them. What they had done was altering not just the surrounding world, but themselves as well. And though they tried to convince themselves they had made the right choice, doubts still stirred in their hearts.
“Did we do the right thing?” Kairen said, his gaze fixed on the Nexus, which still glowed in the dark like a meteor about to tear the sky apart. “We don’t know what consequences our actions will bring.”
Melania looked at him, her eyes reflecting the glow from the Nexus. She could feel an unknown source of power stirring beneath her skin, and while it brought hope, questions continued to boil inside her.
“No one can know everything in advance,” she said softly, yet with determination. “We’re just following our path. What we see now is not the end. Everything has a beginning and an end. But we— we are the ones who decide where the new path begins.”
Meanwhile, Endar, who had been silent for most of the time, noticed the unseen changes in the air. The wind was different— unnaturally cold, and he couldn’t help but sense its pressure. The fine line between reality and something else began to fade, and with it, stability itself seemed to waver.
“We feel…” he began, “…not all changes are good for us. It’s as if something is waking up in the darkness. A response to our actions.”
Suddenly, like the echo of an ancient thunderclap, a powerful force broke the silence again. The wind grew stronger, and the sky, which had seemed dead-gray, tore open. A strange, almost distorted silhouette appeared from a distance: the entity that had led them to this place had returned.
“Your bravery has brought you to me once more,” said the voice, familiar yet foreign. A dark figure floated through the air, its contours appearing crumpled, and its face was hidden in shadow. “But know this, not all choices are for you to make. And not all responsibilities are yours.”
Melania raised her gaze, once again meeting the shadowy figure, which seemed to breathe in shadows.
“Who are you?” she asked with clear insistence. “Why do you keep appearing before us?”
“I am the shadow of the old world you are trying to change,” replied the voice. “You and your companions have already made a choice that shattered one of the empty places left by the fall of Eternity—and now you must take responsibility, not only for the new life, but for the consequences of this choice.”
“But we can’t just sit and do nothing,” Kairen countered, gripping his sword tightly. “If we don’t act, we leave Eternity at the mercy of chaos.”
“You don’t understand,” the figure replied, its voice trembling with unseen power. “You are no longer just creators. You have become part of this world. And every action you take will echo far beyond this reality. A choice is not always to be made instantly. And not every path has a chance of being undone.”
“What do we do?” Melania asked. Her heart felt heavy, but she had no intention of retreating. “What awaits us if we do not continue?”
The shadow trembled, and cold lights flickered in the darkness again.
“The storm is approaching. The time you’ve provoked will begin to tear. And perhaps you will be its center.”
Melania felt an invisible weight settle on her shoulders. This wasn’t just her choice. It was a choice that had changed everything. And there would be no simple answers in the future.
“Then we will be ready to face whatever awaits,” she said, trying to maintain calm, but there was a firmness in her voice.
And although the dark entity faded back into the mist, its warning left no doubt: whatever happened next, it would not be a simple battle against enemies. This would be a battle against the very essence of balance. And the heroes would need to realize that not everything could be solved by force.
The wind calmed, and once again, everything became eerily quiet. But no one had any illusions left. The decision had been made. Now, they would have to fight not only against external forces, but against themselves, and the very thing they had tried to change.
And this battle, they would have to win, or risk losing control over the world that had just begun to take shape.