Darkness.
It pressed in from every direction, thick and suffocating, as though the very air had been drenched in sorrow. Seraphina's breath came in short, pained gasps. Her vision swam—blurs of black and red, flickers of her fading light dancing against the choking shadows of the Rift.
She couldn't feel her legs. Couldn't feel the blood still dripping from the wound on her arm.
But she could feel him.
Darian.
Collapsed beside her, chest barely rising. His hand reached toward hers, trembling, his voice a whisper in the void.
"Don't… give in," he murmured. "The Rift feeds… on despair."
Seraphina clenched her jaw, forcing herself to stay conscious. The Rift pulsed around them like a living thing, hungry, waiting. A figure emerged from its heart—cloaked in black, face hidden behind a jagged bone-white mask, aura thick with corruption.
"So much power," the figure rasped. "And yet you cling to weakness. To him."
Seraphina tried to lift her sword. It wouldn't move. The blade had cracked, the runes flickering faintly. Her magic was almost gone.
"You don't have to die here," the masked figure said, stepping closer. "Join me, Seraphina. The Rift can remake you. You could be more than a girl fighting fate—you could command it."
She didn't speak. Didn't blink. Her heart pounded, not from fear, but from defiance. From the memory of the stars above the academy. From Ariella's laughter. From Mason's awkward smirk. From Alina's gentle advice. From Darian's unwavering belief.
"I'd rather burn than become like you," she spat.
The figure tilted his head. "Then burn."
He lunged.
But Seraphina's body moved before her mind could catch up. Her hand ignited in golden light—not magic from a spell, but something older, deeper. The light poured from her chest, through her cracked blade, through the ground.
A scream erupted from the masked man as the light struck him, pushing him back.
"Seraphina," Darian's voice came again, stronger this time. "Take my strength."
She looked down to see his palm glowing blue. His eyes were fierce now. Alive. "You're not alone."
Their hands met.
In that instant, something ancient awakened. Light and shadow twisted together, forming a brilliant symbol between their palms—two interlocked rings surrounded by a blazing flame. The Mark of the Soulbound.
Their energies merged, blasting outward in a wave that shattered the silence of the Rift.
Above them, far beyond the veil of darkness, Ariella gasped.
"She's alive," she whispered, the orb in her hands pulsing. "She's fighting back."
Mason's hands were already moving. He reached into his coat, drawing the relic he'd never used—the last key left by his father. He thrust it into the earth, and light erupted from the forest floor.
The Rift trembled.
Back below, the masked figure staggered. "No… NO!"
Seraphina's body surged with new energy. The Soulbond tethered her to Darian, their magic synchronized.
A tear rolled down her cheek. "We can escape. Together."
Darian looked at her gently, like she was his entire world. Then he stepped back.
"No," he said softly. "You go. I'll stay and collapse the Rift from within."
Seraphina shook her head, desperation cracking her voice. "Don't do this. Please."
"If I go with you, it'll follow. It has to be sealed from the heart."
He kissed her forehead, a fleeting touch that burned more than fire ever could. "Live for us both."
And then he turned.
A wall of light erupted behind him, blinding, ripping the Rift apart. Seraphina screamed as the portal above her opened, sucking her into a tunnel of light.
She didn't remember falling.
She only remembered the pain of letting go.
---
She crashed into the clearing with a cry.
Ariella screamed, rushing to her side. Mason caught her just before she collapsed.
Her skin was singed, dress torn, hair damp with blood and sweat. But her hand… her hand still glowed with the Mark.
"Where's Darian?" Mason asked urgently.
Seraphina didn't answer.
She couldn't speak.
She only stared at the sky, tears sliding down her face.
"He's gone," she whispered finally. "But I'm going to bring him back. No matter the cost."
A hush fell over the clearing.
The golden glow on Seraphina's hand began to dim, but the Soulbond mark shimmered faintly—etched into her skin like a vow she could never break. Her breath came in ragged bursts, her mind still clinging to the moment Darian disappeared behind the wall of light.
Ariella cradled her, whispering her name through sobs. "Sera… come back to us. Please."
Seraphina blinked slowly. The forest around her was unfamiliar, but safe. The Rift was sealed—or so it seemed. She tried to sit up, her entire body protesting with aches and fire.
Mason helped steady her, his usual confidence replaced by worry. "You shouldn't move. You're—"
"Alive," she rasped. "But Darian isn't."
Mason froze. His jaw clenched, eyes hardening. "What happened down there?"
Seraphina turned her head toward him. "He gave me his strength. He stayed behind to seal the Rift. I—I couldn't stop him."
For a moment, no one spoke.
A bird sang somewhere in the distance, a strange sound after so much silence. It was too peaceful for the devastation that had just occurred.
Ariella stood, brushing tears away. "We need to get her back to the academy. She's too weak to travel alone."
Mason nodded, eyes never leaving Seraphina. "Let's go. And when she's recovered…" His voice dropped. "We find a way back. We get him out."
Seraphina barely heard them. Her body was heavy, her mind heavier. But in her heart, something had shifted—something fierce and burning. She had always thought her power came from within. But now she knew.
It came from love.
It came from sacrifice.
And it came from Darian.
---
Later That Night – The Academy Infirmary
The moonlight bathed the infirmary in soft silver. The walls hummed with runes meant to heal and comfort, but nothing dulled the ache inside her chest.
Seraphina lay in bed, her body wrapped in glowing silk bandages. Magic pulsed gently beneath them, restoring skin and sinew, but it couldn't reach the wound in her soul.
She stared at the ceiling, unmoving. Only the Soulbond mark on her hand reminded her that what had happened was real.
A soft knock tapped against the door.
Alina entered quietly, her usual grace subdued with sorrow. She crossed the room and sat beside the bed, placing a gentle hand on Seraphina's.
"I heard what happened," Alina said softly. "I know words can't fix it… but I'm here."
Seraphina blinked slowly, voice hoarse. "He's still alive. I felt it. Right before the Rift closed."
Alina tilted her head. "Then we'll find him. The Academy has never faced something like this before, but if anyone can bend fate…" she smiled faintly, "it's you."
A tear slipped down Seraphina's cheek.
"I'm scared," she whispered.
"I know," Alina said. "But you're not alone."
---
Somewhere Beyond the Rift
A swirling void, silent and endless.
Darian opened his eyes.
Pain flooded him, but he was alive.
Barely.
Around him, the Rift seethed. It was wounded. Collapsing slowly, but not fully gone.
"Still breathing?" came a voice from the darkness.
Darian turned—his eyes widening. The masked figure stood nearby, damaged but alive. Cracks splintered across his mask, and his aura flickered like a dying flame.
"You shouldn't have come back," the figure said. "Now you'll die here."
Darian rose, bloodied but unbroken.
"I won't die," he said, lifting his hands. "Because I have something you'll never understand."
The Soulbond mark burned on his chest.
"Hope."
---
Back at the Academy
Seraphina gasped, sitting upright in her bed.
Her heart thundered.
She felt it—clear as daylight.
He was alive.
And he was fighting.
Her eyes lit with fierce determination.
"I'm coming, Darian," she whispered.
"No matter what it takes."
Back at the Academy – Days Later
The sun barely broke through the storm clouds as Seraphina stood in the restricted wing of the Academy's archives. Dust floated in the stale air, and arcane tomes lined the endless stone walls like forgotten relics.
She wore a dark cloak, her Soulbond mark glowing faintly beneath the fabric. She was alone—or so she thought.
She ran her hand along the shelves, eyes scanning the ancient bindings.
"Resonance… Reversal… Realm Travel…"
There.
"Veil of the Lost: Navigating the Realms Between."
She pulled it out carefully. The cover trembled beneath her fingers—alive with old magic.
As she opened the book, a sudden gust of wind slammed the door behind her. The candles flickered violently.
Footsteps echoed.
She spun around, heart racing.
A figure stepped from the shadows.
Mason.
His expression was grim.
"You're planning something," he said. "I can see it in your eyes."
"I have to go back," she said flatly. "I know he's alive."
Mason stepped closer, his jaw tight. "I believe you. But the Rift is closed. Entering it would require a sacrifice."
Seraphina's voice didn't waver. "Then I'll make one."
A long pause stretched between them.
"I'm coming with you," Mason finally said. "You're not doing this alone."
Before Seraphina could reply, the book in her hand glowed bright gold—and flipped open on its own. Pages turned rapidly, faster and faster, until they stopped on one ink-stained diagram.
A symbol burned itself onto the page.
A sigil Seraphina had never seen before.
It pulsed.
And then—
A scream tore through the silence.
Ariella burst into the room, her face pale, eyes wide with horror.
"Seraphina… the Soulbond mark—it's changing."
Seraphina looked down.
And froze.
The mark was bleeding.
Gold light streamed from it, and her vision blurred.
Images flooded her mind—Darian screaming, trapped in chains, a dark throne, and a masked figure whispering:
"You were never meant to be his."
Seraphina gasped.
The floor gave way beneath her.
Everything went black.