Darkness. Then—light.
Lion opened his eyes to find himself floating among countless shattered mirrors, each reflecting a different world: some devoured by ashen flames, others withering under eternal shadow, a few flickering with fragile equilibrium. His body had become translucent, his Shadowheart slowly rotating in his chest. From the six broken chains, luminous threads extended—each tethered to a mirrored reality.
"This is not death."
The voice came from behind. Turning, Lion saw the Shadow Prince manifested as a blurred silhouette, fingers tracing the cosmic threads.
"The crossroads of all possibilities," the Prince said, no longer hostile. "When you pierced your heart, Chaos and Shadow achieved momentary balance."
Lion looked to the nearest mirror. Within it, Selene—whole again—knelt amidst Blackreef's ruins, cradling his crystallized body. Her tears sizzled against the crystals like acid.
"She succeeded in merging?"
"At your expense." The Prince gestured to another mirror showing Calvin petrified mid-charge. "Every choice births divergent futures."
A distant mirror flared violently. Lion swam closer—and froze.
Within the gray flames, Selene's mother reassembled herself, nursing an infant-sized Chaos Ember.
"This is the truth." The Prince's voice turned bitter. "The 'Corruption' was never an invasion—just a lost essence seeking its birthplace. Our people were meant to be its guides."
Memories detonated in Lion's mind: the first Shadowkin descending from the stars, each carrying a sliver of Chaos meant to explore this world—until dragons and mages imprisoned them all.
"The Chains were never about protection..." Lion breathed.
"But hoarding magic's source." The Prince pointed as three dominant mirrors emerged:
Lion's crystalized corpse becomes a new prison core, Selene withering as its jailer
Chaos unleashed, reducing all existence to a primordial soup
...An empty mirror.
"What does this mean?" Lion reached for the void.
The Prince dissolved into whispers: "Some paths permit no return."
The void mirror pulled.
Lion's chains began regenerating—but now they connected to Corrupted worlds.
"Balance..." Understanding dawned. "Not sealing or freeing... redistribution."
As he leaped into the void, all realities trembled.
Black reef Island - Prime Reality
Selene gasped as the corpse in her arms erupted into black-gold fire.
"Lion?!"
Cracks spiderwebbed across the crystals. An energy neither light nor dark streamed upward, forming the Lion's spectral image. His voice echoed across infinity:
"Find the Oathblood... not for sealing... for..."
Reality warped. Selene's crystallized right hand—long numb—moved on its own, carving a Shadowkin sigil in the air.
The moment it was completed, Calvin's stone shell shattered. The knight coughed up crystallized blood, his lone eye reflecting the impossible:
Every Corrupted creature ceased attacking. From their wounds drifted black-gold motes, coalescing into a bridge to the stars.
"He... reforged the connection." Calvin rasped. "The damn fool's... sending it home."
Selene's Phoenix fire rose—not in fury, but as a gentle escort for the ascending lights. Below her, Lion's body disintegrated, leaving only his floating Shadowheart.
"No!" She grabbed at the dispersing glow. "You can't—"
"Look." Calvin pointed skyward with his ruined hook.
The stars pulsed.
Light-years away, something ancient opened its eyes. Its gaze alone purified the Corruption across all worlds. In return, a wisp of primordial magic slid down the bridge—alighting on Selene's palm.
"This is..." She trembled.
"A farewell." Calvin watched the closing rift. "And an invitation."
The Shadowheart split. Half-formed an obsidian ring on Selene's finger; the other fused with Calvin's hook, transforming dead metal into living tissue.
From the cosmic deeps came a whisper:
[WHEN YOU ARE READY...]
Selene clenched her ring. For the first time, her crystalized eye wept—not tears of grief, but liquid starlight.