The world vanished.
Not slowly.
Not gently.
Not like snow melting or fog rolling in.
It ended.
Instantly.
Kanah felt Owain's arms around her one moment—
muscles tense
warm breath on her temple
the steady pound of his heart—
And then—
Nothing.
Her body plunged downward into blackness.
"Owain—!!"
She reached.
Her fingers stretched into empty void.
Her breath ripped from her lungs.
"O-W-A-IN—!!"
Her scream echoed into nothing.
Owain's Fall
Owain felt her slip out of his arms.
It wasn't physical.
It was violent.
Ripped.
As if the world reached between them and tore her away by force.
He roared—
the kind of primal, guttural sound that tore from deep inside him.
"KANAAAAH—!!"
He lunged forward, claws scraping the edge of a cliff that didn't exist a moment ago.
But the moment he leapt—
The ground under his feet dissolved.
He fell too.
Wind tore past him.
Darkness swallowed his vision.
He reached both hands into the void, trying to feel her, touch her, ANYTHING—
"KANAH—ANSWER ME—KANAH—!!"
Nothing.
He felt her presence snap out of range.
Not die.
Disappear.
His eyes widened—terrified, wild.
"NO—NO—NO—GODS—KANAH—!!"
Owain fell through an endless void, screaming her name until his throat tore.
The First King's voice echoed above him:
"This is the Trial of Loss."
Owain's breath collapsed.
"BRING HER BACK—NOW—!!"
"No."
Owain roared until his voice broke.
"To complete the crowns, the heir must face one of three losses.
The loss of her mind.
The loss of her bond.
Or the loss of her protector."
Owain's heart stopped.
"What—what does that mean—!? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN!? ANSWER ME—!!"
But the First King ignored him.
Owain fell into endless black, fingernails cracking as he clawed at nothing.
Kanah's Descent
Kanah hit ground.
Hard.
The impact knocked the air from her lungs.
She rolled across cold stone, gasping, coughing.
Her hands scraped raw.
Her head spun.
Everything was… wrong.
No snow.
No wind.
No sky.
Just a stone platform floating in a void so black it felt alive.
Kanah took a shaking breath.
"Owain…?"
Her voice echoed.
"Owain… please… say something…"
Silence.
Only silence.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"No… no no no—Owain—OWAIN—!!"
She stumbled forward, calling for him desperately.
"OWAIN—YLLAS—HELION—GERRIN—ANYONE—!!"
Nothing.
Her breath began to hitch.
Her hands trembled.
Her pulse stuttered.
And then—
A large sigil ignited beneath her feet.
White.
Cold.
Unforgiving.
The First King's voice filled the void.
"Heir of the Three Crowns.
Stand for the final trial."
Kanah shook violently.
"No—please—I don't want another trial—please—I'm not even breathing right—I just—I just fought myself—I just—"
"Trial of Loss requires a choice."
Her breath froze.
"W-What kind of… choice?"
The darkness shifted, curving into three enormous archways rising from nothingness.
Each one pulsed with a different color.
Left — violet.
Center — gold.
Right — black.
Kanah backed away.
"NO. No, I don't want this. LET ME OUT."
"You must enter one door."
"I WON'T."
"Then you will lose all three."
Her chest seized.
"Lose what!?"
The First King spoke slowly:
"Yourself.
Your bond.
Or your protector."
Kanah's knees went weak.
"No… no, please—please—don't make me choose…"
"Choose your loss."
Kanah shook her head violently.
"No—no—I won't—I can't—"
The Three Doors Explained
She looked up at the first archway.
Violet.
It pulsed like her rune.
"If you enter the violet door," the First King said,
"you will lose your mind."
Kanah clapped a hand over her mouth.
"You will relive your traumas infinitely.
You will forget your name.
You will forget your purpose."
Her voice trembled uncontrollably:
"I—I can't—I won't—"
She turned to the second door.
Gold.
Warm.
Terrifying.
"If you choose the golden door…
you lose your bond."
Her pulse stuttered.
"Bond…?"
"Your anchor.
Your mate.
Owain."
Kanah collapsed to her knees.
"S-Stop—stop—don't say it like that—"
"If you choose gold… the anchor breaks.
He forgets you.
You forget him."
She shook her head violently.
"No—no—Owain—NO—please—don't make me—"
Her voice cracked into a sob.
"I can't lose him—please—I can't—"
The First King continued:
"If you enter the black door…
you lose your protector."
Kanah blinked.
"My… protector?"
The void trembled.
"The one who steps into the fight for you every time.
The one who takes the blow meant for you.
The one whose life exists to guard yours."
Kanah's breath shook.
"Which one…? Which protector…?"
"All of them."
Her heart stopped.
"You mean—Yllas? Helion? Gerrin? OWAIN—?!"
"Yes."
Kanah screamed.
"STOP!"
Her voice cracked until it hurt.
"I WON'T CHOOSE WHICH ONE DIES!"
"Then all will."
Kanah folded, sobbing into her shaking hands.
"No—no—this isn't fair—this is CRUEL—PLEASE—STOP—"
The First King spoke colder:
"Choose your loss.
Or Trial Five fails."
"And if it fails!?" Kanah choked.
"Your heart stops."
Kanah gasped as if stabbed.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
"No… please… please… someone… someone help me…"
No answer.
She was alone.
Truly alone.
Owain Tries to Break Through
Owain slammed into another wall of invisible force.
"KANAH—KANAH—ANSWER ME—!!"
His fists bled.
His claws cracked.
His voice died in his throat.
Gerrin caught up to him, panting.
"Owain—listen—Trial Five isn't meant to be won by force—"
"THEN IT'S WRONG!" Owain roared, slamming both palms against the barrier.
"LET ME GET TO HER—LET ME—LET ME—!"
Yllas dragged himself closer.
"Owain—she has to choose. We cannot interfere."
Owain's entire body shook so violently he nearly collapsed.
"She can't choose something like that—she can't—no one could—no one—"
Helion clenched his jaw.
"She won't lose us. We won't let her."
Owain's voice broke.
"She's crying. I can feel it. I can feel her fear—her pain—her heartbeat—"
His eyes widened.
Then went cold.
"She's choosing loss."
Yllas's breath caught.
"What?"
Owain pressed his hands to the barrier, voice barely audible:
"I felt her pain shift. She's deciding which loss she can bear."
Gerrin whispered:
"No… Kanah… don't…"
Owain slammed his fist.
"KANAH—STOP—DON'T DECIDE—DON'T—"
But she didn't hear him.
And the First King didn't stop her.
Kanah Chooses
Kanah forced herself to breathe.
Slowly.
Painfully.
Her entire body trembled so hard she could barely stand.
"I can't lose my mind," she whispered.
"I just got it back."
The violet door dimmed.
She looked at the gold door.
Owain's door.
The thought of losing him—
Of losing that warmth
that smile
that voice
that bond
that confession
that love—
Her entire chest seized painfully.
"No… no, not this one… never this one…"
The gold door flickered.
Only the black door remained.
Loss of her protector.
Loss of… all of them?
She covered her mouth as a sob tore through her.
"I can't lose them either… I love them—every one of them—I love them too much—please—PLEASE—DON'T MAKE ME—"
The First King spoke softly.
Cruelly.
"Choose."
Kanah screamed.
"STOP SAYING THAT—!!"
But he didn't.
And she knew—
If she didn't choose
She would die
Owain would die trying to reach her
Yllas would die trying to intervene
Helion would die trying to break the trial
Gerrin would die trying to out-cast the First King
She swallowed hard.
Tears streamed down her face.
Her voice cracked into a whisper:
"…I choose…"
She sobbed.
Her body shook violently.
"I choose the loss… that hurts me most…"
She turned toward the gold door.
The bond.
Owain.
Her anchor.
Her heart.
She pressed a hand to her chest, sobbing so hard she couldn't breathe.
"I… choose… to lose… my bond."
Owain's bond.
Owain's memory.
Owain's love.
Owain's everything.
Because if she didn't—
He would die for her.
All of them would.
And she couldn't bear their blood on her hands.
Kanah whispered the last words with a shattering breath:
"I choose to lose… Owain."
The golden door ignited.
Owain collapsed across the barrier, screaming her name—
"KANAAAAAAAAH—!!"