MASTERS OF THE ETERNITY
CHAPTER 16: THREADS OF CHOICE
The silence didn't last.
A low groan echoed through the Vault's walls, followed by a tremor beneath their feet — not a quake, but a reverberation, like the world itself reacting to what had just been awakened.
Raian staggered a step back, the Blade of Eternity in his grip. The sword no longer felt like a weapon — it felt like a presence. It pulsed in his hand, not violently, but expectantly.
Lira touched her chest. The red mark — the Hollowkind's whisper — flickered in rhythm with the Blade.
"It's responding to both of us," she said softly.
"No," Kaien said, eyes narrowing. "It's deciding."
---
Izek took a cautious step toward them, eyes scanning the walls as fresh light bled through long-dormant cracks.
"The Vault's seal is unraveling."
Kaien cursed under her breath. "This was supposed to be gradual. Guided. A slow awakening. Not—" she motioned to Raian "—whatever this is."
Raian didn't flinch. "Then guide me."
Kaien stared at him for a long moment, then nodded, voice hardening. "Fine. The Vault has one more chamber — the Blade's Eye. It shows what's to come. Not prophecy. Possibility. Your choices. Your failures."
"And if we survive it?" Lira asked.
Kaien's voice dropped.
"Then you'll understand what the Blade really demands."
---
They moved quickly.
The Vault's corridors twisted in impossible ways — spiraling upward while also descending. Kaien led them through like she'd walked them a thousand times. Her pace was fast, but not rushed. Determined.
As they neared the Eye, Raian could feel the Blade vibrating stronger with each step. Not warning. Anticipating.
"This power," Izek muttered, "it's too old. Too many have died just touching it."
"And yet," Lira whispered, her eyes distant, "it wants something more."
Raian glanced at her. "What did you see… back in the Sanctum?"
Lira looked at him then. Really looked.
"You dead," she said. "By my hand."
---
The chamber opened like a wound — massive, circular, with a platform of mirrored stone in the center. All around, suspended in midair, were fragments of time — frozen images of battles, betrayals, and broken worlds.
Raian stepped onto the platform.
The Blade in his hand pulsed once.
Then the fragments moved — spiraling around him in blinding speed until they coalesced into a single vision.
> A battlefield of black sand.
Lira facing him, her hair silver, her body cloaked in the same fractal armor as the Echo from Kaelith.
Raian's voice calling out to her.
Her eyes empty.
The Blade of Eternity… in her hands.
And his own body, pierced and fading.
---
Raian gasped — stumbled back, sword dragging against the mirror-floor.
"No," he breathed. "That's not real."
"It's a thread," Kaien said. "One path. Not the path."
"But it's possible?" Izek asked.
Kaien nodded grimly. "Yes."
Lira stood still, jaw tight. "Then we break it."
But the Blade flared again — and another vision unfolded.
> The Eclipse, cloaked in flowing void-light, standing atop a shattered citadel.
Izek chained to a monolith, screaming Raian's name.
Kaien, her gauntlet arm torn away, crawling through blood.
And Raian… standing beside the Eclipse. Silent. Unmoving. Holding the Blade.
---
Raian fell to one knee.
He looked at the sword.
"Why… why would it show me this?"
Kaien's voice was soft.
"Because you can. Because it's not just about strength — it's about choice. And the cost of making the wrong one."
Lira knelt beside him, placing her hand over his.
"We make the right one. Together."
The Blade quieted.
The visions stilled.
The platform dimmed — and the door behind them opened.
---
As they exited the Eye, the Vault began to tremble again — but this time, with purpose.
Kaien turned to them. "There's no going back now. The Blade is awake. The Eclipse will feel it. And the Pale Twin is still hunting."
"We'll be ready," Raian said, his voice steadier now.
Izek glanced at him. "Then we move."
Kaien hesitated, then added quietly, "You should know… the Pale Twin was once a bearer too."
Raian froze. "What?"
Kaien looked him in the eye.
"The Blade broke her. It could break you."
Raian tightened his grip on the hilt. "Then I'll break first."
---
Far above, at the fractured edge of the mountain range, a ripple tore through the sky — dark and roiling.
The Eclipse had felt the Blade's awakening.
Its gaze turned eastward.
It smiled.
TO BE CONTINUED