The heart of choice

POV Lena

The world around us felt like a distorted dream, the sounds muffled, and the colors too vibrant. Each step we took seemed to pull us closer to the center of everything, the point where the cycles began and ended.

Kael held my hand tightly, as if afraid I might disappear. His touch was my anchor, but my heart was restless. The words of the riddle echoed in my mind like a haunted melody: “To break the cycle, you must let go of what binds you. Only then will you be free.”

“Do you feel that?” Kael asked, breaking my thoughts.

I nodded. The surrounding air pulsed with an energy I couldn’t name. It was as if the very fabric of time was unraveling and reweaving itself simultaneously.

“We’re getting close,” he murmured, looking at the horizon.

The scenery shifted again, and this time it felt more real than the previous visions. The sky was a deep blue, speckled with stars, and we were in a vast field covered with flowers that glowed like tiny lanterns. The wind carried a sweet fragrance, but there was something dark hidden beneath the beauty.

In the center of the field stood a figure.

It was hard to describe, as if it was constantly shifting, taking on forms and faces I couldn’t pin down. But its eyes—or what I assumed were eyes—were fixed on us.

“You’ve finally arrived,” the figure said, its voice echoing like a melody and a threat at the same time.

Kael stepped forward, positioning himself between me and the figure. “Who are you?”

“I am what remains,” the figure replied. “I am the origin and the end of all you have lived. I am the cycle that binds you.”

My legs felt weak, but I forced myself to stand firm. “Are you the one forcing us to repeat this?”

The figure laughed, a sound that seemed to cut through the air. “You forced yourselves. I only exist to keep your choices alive.”

“Choices?” Kael asked, tension evident in his voice.

“You chose to keep your love intact, no matter the cost. Each life, each restart, was an attempt to hold onto something that should have been let go. You created the cycle.”

It felt as if my heart had stopped. Were the figure’s words true? Was it possible we were responsible for all the suffering, for the endless repetition?

“How do we end it?” Kael demanded.

The figure tilted its head, as if pondering. “You already know the answer. It lies in the riddle. Let go of what binds you.”

My body went cold. Let go. What bound us was clear to me now. Our love, our connection, was the chain keeping us trapped in the cycle.

Kael turned to me, his eyes burning with determination but also sadness. “Lena...”

“No,” I said, my voice firmer than I felt. “We can’t give up. There has to be another way.”

“If there were, you would have found it already,” the figure interrupted. “This is the moment to decide. Continue to suffer together or set yourselves free.”

Kael held my face, pressing his forehead against mine. “If this means losing you, I...” He swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence.

Tears streamed down my face. “What if we forget? What if this destroys us completely?”

“What if it’s the only way to finally be free?”

The surrounding field began to fade, the flowers wilting, the stars extinguishing one by one. There was no more time.

Kael took a deep breath and looked at me, the decision already clear in his eyes. “I would do anything for you, Lena. Even let go of us if it means you’ll have peace.”

My hands trembled as I clutched his. “I would do anything for you, too.”

The figure extended a hand, as if offering a choice. “Then choose.”

Kael and I stared at each other, the weight of the decision crushing us. Slowly, we both stepped forward, our hands still intertwined, and touched the figure at the same time.

A blinding light engulfed us, and the world disappeared in a burst of heat and silence.

Everything was gone.

The blinding light consumed everything, but instead of pain, there was a strange warmth. It wasn’t comforting, but it wasn’t cruel either—it felt like we were being unraveled, thread by thread. I clung to Kael’s hand, even as I felt my body dissolving, unsure if this was the end or the beginning of something else.

“Lena,” Kael’s voice echoed, distant yet close. “No matter what happens, remember that you’re my everything.”

His words anchored me, even as the figure’s voice resonated like a chorus.

“Your choice has been made. Prepare to face what comes next.”

The warmth gave way to cold, and then... silence.

For a moment, I thought I was floating in the void again, but the sensation was interrupted by the sound of leaves rustling in the wind. When I opened my eyes, I saw a completely different landscape: towering trees and a golden sky, as if time itself had been painted on the horizon.