The light of the new Node gradually stabilized, but the tension in the air lingered. The space around them remained eerily quiet, as if holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come. Melania stood beside Endar, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Are you sure they’ll be all right?” she asked, nodding toward the sphere that now hovered at the Node’s center, a balance of light and shadow.
“It’s a transitional state,” he replied, his voice laced with exhaustion despite his effort to hide it. “They’re no longer enemies, but they’ll need time to adapt to the new order.”
“Time is a luxury we don’t have,” Melania said grimly. Her gaze lingered on the symbol now glowing with a red-gold light. It appeared stable, yet an underlying sense of unease refused to leave her.
“I agree,” Endar said softly. “Something is coming. This Node is only one part of the puzzle.”
He turned to Melania, and for a moment, his golden eyes glimmered brighter.
“I can see traces of other Nodes,” he said. “They’re changing too. And some of those changes may become dangerous.”
Melania nodded. She knew the remnants of the old order had left many traps. Their battle with the shadows had only confirmed that.
“We need to find out what’s happening in the other parts of Eternity,” she said. “If this Node has awakened, others might be reacting too. And not all changes will be… manageable.”
Her gaze drifted into the distance. The Node’s space was vast and awe-inspiring, yet terrifying—an endless weave of light and darkness moving in an invisible rhythm.
“We might lose control of what we’ve created,” she added at last.
“We never had full control,” Endar replied quietly, averting his eyes. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t guide these forces.”
Their reflections were abruptly interrupted by a sudden tremor in the space. The Node shuddered, and the symbol at its center flared even brighter. A wave of light rippled outward, touching everything around them. Melania and Endar barely managed to keep their footing as the wave passed through them.
“What was that?” Melania asked, her heart racing.
“An echo from another Node,” Endar said, tension creeping into his voice. “Someone—or something—is interfering with the balance.”
A portal appeared before them, emitting a cold, bluish light. From it came sounds like distant screams and whispers. Melania stepped cautiously forward, but Endar stopped her.
“It could be a trap,” he warned.
“Or it could be our only chance to understand what’s happening,” she countered. “We can’t wait for everything to fall apart.”
She gripped the symbolic blade tightly in her hand and stepped into the portal. Endar hesitated for only a moment before following her.
On the other side, they found a space entirely unlike the one they had left. The sky was dark blue, scattered with stars that moved in a chaotic rhythm. The ground beneath their feet seemed fragile, like glass that could shatter at any moment.
In the distance were silhouettes—motionless figures whose shapes shifted constantly, as if made of fragments from different worlds.
“This… is the remains of an old Node,” Melania said, studying the strange figures. “It’s broken, but its fragments still exist.”
“And those fragments could be the source of the chaos threatening Eternity,” Endar added. “We need to find out what’s left of this Node and who controls these forces.”
Their conversation was cut short when one of the figures suddenly moved toward them. Its movements were fluid yet unpredictable. As it drew closer, they saw it was a woman. Her face shifted constantly, as if absorbing the features of countless different personalities.
“You’ve come at the wrong time,” she said in a voice that was both familiar and alien. “But perhaps that’s why you might change the course of events.”
“Who are you?” Melania asked, keeping her blade ready.
The woman stopped, and for a moment, her face stilled. It resembled Melania’s, only older and wiser.
“I am what remains of this Node,” she replied. “And I’m here to warn you: not everything that seems saved remains so. Sometimes, even the best intentions lead to collapse.”
She raised a hand, and the stars in the sky began to rearrange themselves into new patterns. Melania and Endar felt the space around them shift once more.
“You must find the other Nodes,” the woman said. “But remember: every choice you make affects not only you but Eternity itself.”
With those words, she vanished, and the ground beneath their feet trembled again.
“We need to move quickly,” Melania said, looking at Endar. “If we don’t find these Nodes, everything we’ve created could disappear.”
Endar nodded silently, and together they ventured deeper into this world, now more dangerous and mysterious than ever.