It was too quiet in the cavern of divine trials.
The echo of the Keeper's last words lingered in the air as Ren Zian stood in front of the nine celestial thrones. Three options. Three repercussions. And only a single soul capable of confronting them.
Under his feet, a shallow pool of light developed. A luminous platform of crystal rose from its center, and a blade, black as the emptiness and humming with power, hovered atop it.
Out of nowhere, the Keeper's voice said, "This is the Severance Blade." "You have to make your first decision. Decide what to carry and what to cut.
Two doors opened before Ren.
Pulsing with crimson-orange embers, one was formed from burning flame. The silver-etched one glowed softly, like melancholy moonlight.
The door to the flames opened.
Ren saw Sariel inside.
On the charred remains of the battlefield where they had first met, she stood by herself. Her golden armor was cracked, the sun-sigil on her back was dimmed, and she was injured, barely breathing.
However, her eyes...
They were still looking for him.
I'm still waiting.
The Keeper remarked, "You left her with your promise." "To come back after the war was over." When there was peace, to hold her hand. The bond was that.
The silver door swung open.
Lyra was standing underneath it.
She was in the library in his former life's kingdom, where they had snatched peaceful moments in between conflicts. She opened the book containing their vows with shaking hands. The words he had whispered, words no one else had ever heard, were mouthed by her lips.
The Keeper whispered, "You told her the truth." "Just the unadulterated, gushing truth of your soul—not a promise or a fire. The oath was that.
As he got closer to the blade, Ren's hands began to shake. Under his fingertips, its power throbbed. Although it was warm, it was unsettling. It's more like the warmth of letting go and grieving.
"One needs to be cut off."
"One needs to be rescued."
"One has to be given up."
He looked toward the doors.
Sariel. The warrior who sacrificed immortality for his cause.
Lyra. The oracle who assured him that even if he forgot her name, she would still love him.
His throat hurt. "What makes the gods want to punish love?"
The Keeper stepped out of the shadows and answered, "Because love bends fate." "Fate also dislikes being manipulated."
Ren inhaled and moved forward.
Once, the blade pulsed.
He held it high.
Then—with a hint of remorse—he hit.
Ash exploded from the flame door.
Sariel's picture faded and flickered. and vanished.
The blade clattered next to Ren as he fell to his knees. His heart cried out.
He muttered, "She would have waited forever." However, I couldn't allow her to remain attached to me. No longer.
The Keeper touched his shoulder. She will be aware. One day. That it was benevolence.
A bell rang.
The cavern moved.
Reminiscent of his former life, Ren now stood on the edge of a divine garden. Lyra watched him with wet, wide eyes from under the shade of a silver tree.
He approached her on foot.
She remained silent.
simply held out the book of their truths, which was now missing the page he had just cut.
"I apologize," he said. "For everything." However, I will not abandon this truth. Not now.
Lyra leaned in and grinned despite her tears. "So don't make me wait another lifetime."
They kissed, slowly, softly, defying all human and divine laws.
The surrounding garden became more radiant.
The blade disappeared.
And inside of him, Ren felt a chain uncoil—not break, but change. turning into something that no god could possess.
A freely chosen love.
An unburied truth.
A renewed bond.
The Keeper whispered into space as their kiss grew deeper:
"One decision was made. There are still two.