Chapter 62: The Fractured Path

The weight of the choice hung heavy in the air, an unspoken tension binding the group as we exited the chamber of the Crystal Nexus. The Heartseed, now glowing with a steady warmth, felt heavier in my hands, as if aware of the monumental decision it demanded. 

Silvermane's wolves padded ahead, their low growls a constant warning in the unsettling silence of the Frozen Gate's interior. Ember walked beside me, her flames flickering nervously. Dren brought up the rear, his hand never straying far from his weapon. 

"What happens if we choose wrong?" Ember asked after a while, her voice unusually subdued. 

Silvermane answered without turning around, her tone grim. "Then it's not just this world that falls. It's all of them." 

"Reassuring," Ember muttered, her flames flaring for a brief moment before dimming again.