"The only thing inevitable," Lira says steadily, "is that you'll fail. Just like he did."
Lady Virath's laugh scrapes against my skin like broken glass, jagged and sharp, leaving an almost tangible sting in its wake. It carries a chilling resonance, as though the sound itself were imbued with malice, twisting the air around us. "Failed? Oh, you fool. He never failed. He was waiting. And now..."
The air warps, rippling like a mirage, but colder—unnatural, as though the fabric of reality is unraveling at the seams.. Through every shadow in the room, I see it—glimpses of another plane where a figure of smoke and malice stands behind Lady Virath, his form shifting between shapes but his eyes burning with ancient hunger.
The Heart of Eternity flares with golden light, and suddenly I understand. "The board meeting," I breathe. "The crystals. You wanted proof that I could access the gates."
"Very good, little Valkyrie." Lady Virath's smile stretches too wide. "Your mother may have sealed them, but you... you're the key to unlocking them all."
My shadows surge up as one, and my wings burst open in a flash of violent light. Mouse grows larger, his violet eyes blazing, while Bob assembles the others into perfect formation.
But Lady Virath doesn't flinch. If anything, her smile widens. "Do you really think your parlor tricks can stop what's coming? The seals are already weakening. Even now, he bleeds through the cracks between worlds."
As if in response, the shadows around us shudder. Through them, I glimpse the other plane—a figure towering over all, wreathed in shifting smoke that seems to consume itself, his outline flickering like an unfinished nightmare. His presence feels vast and boundless, pressing against the edges of reality, a storm of chaos waiting to break free.
"We've prepared for this," Lady Virath continues, her voice distorting further. "For you. The final key."
She raises her hands, and reality ripples again. Through the walls, through every shadow and dark corner, I feel them coming. Nightwraiths. Dozens of them. Hundreds. An army of darkness pressing against the thin barriers between worlds.
"The gates will open," she says, her voice carrying His echo now. "The realms will bleed together. And you, Kaia Draven, will be the one to break the seals your mother and father put in place. Her choice, her death—it will have been for nothing."
