Indestrutível bonds

Kael

The echoes of Thorne's laughter still rang in my ears as I ran toward Lena. The shadows around her moved unnaturally, as if they were sentient entities trying to engulf her presence. My heart pounded with frantic fear and urgency. It wasn’t just about saving her; it was about protecting what she meant, what we were together.

"Lena! Don’t move, I’m coming!" I shouted, ignoring the exhaustion overtaking my body.

She saw me and tried to run, but something held her back. The shadows seemed to gain form, transforming into humanoid figures, their eyes glowing with an eerie red light. One of them grabbed Lena's arm, and her scream cut through the air like a blade.

"Kael! I can’t move!"

My vision darkened for a moment, consumed by fury. I extended my hand, feeling the power within me respond to my call. It was unstable but familiar. A burst of energy erupted, a beam of light shooting across the space between us, striking the shadow holding Lena. The creature vanished with a high-pitched scream, but more were already advancing.

"Lena, fight them!" I yelled, but I saw the fear in her eyes. She couldn’t.

I charged at the remaining shadows, punching and hurling beams of light, each strike fueled by anger and desperation. One by one, they disappeared, but for every one I defeated, it seemed like more emerged from nowhere, an endless force of darkness.

When I finally reached Lena, she was kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily. I knelt beside her, cupping her face in both hands, forcing her to look at me.

"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" I asked, my chest tightening with worry.

She shook her head, trying to speak, but the words wouldn’t come out. Finally, her eyes met mine, and there was something there that froze me: guilt.

"Kael… I’m not supposed to be here," she whispered.

"Don’t say that," I replied quickly, gripping her hand. "You belong in this moment as much as I do."

Before she could respond, the ground trembled violently, and a deep sound reverberated through the area, like something massive awakening. I looked around, trying to locate the source, but everything seemed shrouded in an oppressive mist.

"He’s playing with us," I murmured.

"Who? Thorne?" Lena asked, her voice heavy with fear.

"Yes. He wants to divide us, to test us," I said, helping her to her feet. "But I won’t let that happen."

A low laugh echoed through the mist, and Thorne appeared, his figure slowly emerging as if he were part of the darkness itself.

"You’re so predictable," he mocked, crossing his arms. "Always rushing to save each other. But you never see the bigger picture."

"Show yourself, Thorne! Stop using games and tricks!" I challenged, my voice laced with anger.

He only smiled, raising a hand as if summoning something. A circle of light appeared around us, separating us from the rest of the shadowy space. In the center, a figure began to form.

It was a younger version of me, with Lena by my side. The image was clear, almost as if we were looking at a living memory. We were both smiling, our hands intertwined, but something was wrong.

"Recognize this?" Thorne asked. "This is one of the many cycles you’ve lived. Always finding each other, always loving each other. And always… failing."

"Why are you showing us this?" Lena asked, her voice trembling.

"Because you need to understand," he said, walking around the circle. "The love you share is both a blessing and a curse. It’s the bond that connects you, but also the chain that keeps you trapped in the cycle. As long as that bond exists, you’ll never escape."

"That’s a lie," I muttered, but a part of me feared he might be right.

Thorne smiled again, as if he could read my thoughts. "The truth is cruel, isn’t it? But there is a way out."

He stopped and looked directly at Lena.

"You can break the cycle. You just have to make the right choice."

Lena looked at him, then at me. I saw the conflict in her eyes. She was considering, even if just for a moment, the possibility that he might be right.

"Don’t listen to him, Lena," I pleaded. "He just wants to manipulate us. He always has."

"Maybe," she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "But… what if he’s right, Kael? What if… we’re the problem?"

I gripped her hands tightly, my heart breaking at her uncertainty. "We are not the problem. Our love is not the problem. It’s the force that keeps us standing."

"Beautiful speech," Thorne interrupted. "But empty. You know what you need to do."

Before I could react, he extended a hand toward me, and everything around me disappeared. I was swallowed by darkness, my connection to Lena abruptly severed.

"Kael!" I heard her scream, but it was distant, as if coming from another world.