Edrin didn't get far before he felt it.
Not behind him.
Not chasing him.
With him.
"…They're following," he said quietly.
Ronan glanced back. "Yeah. I noticed."
"I was hoping you didn't."
Lyra looked over her shoulder.
The figures—those broken, waiting echoes—were moving now.
Not quickly.
Not aggressively.
Just… walking.
Keeping distance.
But staying close enough.
"They're tied to you," she said.
Edrin winced. "…Why is everything tied to me?"
Kael answered simply.
"Because you answered."
Edrin sighed.
"…I should really think more before doing that."
Ronan smirked. "Don't start now."
"I wasn't planning to."
They continued across the plain.
This time—
It didn't feel empty.
It felt… occupied.
Not hostile.
Not safe.
But aware.
Edrin glanced up at the fractured sky.
"…Do you think it's still watching?"
"Yes," Lyra said.
"…I was afraid you'd say that."
Kael didn't look up.
"It hasn't acted again."
"That's not comforting."
"It shouldn't be."
Edrin nodded.
"…Right."
The path ahead shifted slightly.
Not physically.
But perceptibly.
The air grew heavier.
The ground less stable.
Edrin slowed.
"…Something's changing again."
Ronan grinned. "Good. I was getting bored."
"I was not getting bored!"
The figures behind them slowed as well.
Not stopping.
But cautious.
As if they recognized what was ahead.
Edrin noticed.
"…They don't want to go further."
Lyra frowned. "Why?"
Edrin looked forward.
"…Because something worse is there."
Kael stepped ahead.
"…Then we proceed carefully."
Edrin muttered under his breath.
"…We never proceed any other way."
The plain began to break.
Not violently.
But gradually.
Cracks spread across the ground—
Deeper than before.
Wider.
More unstable.
Edrin stepped carefully.
"…Okay, this is definitely worse."
Ronan stepped across a fissure with ease. "Just don't fall."
"That's excellent advice!"
Lyra kept close, her eyes scanning the terrain.
"This isn't just damage," she said.
"It's collapse."
Edrin swallowed.
"…Of what?"
Kael answered.
"The boundary."
Silence.
Edrin frowned.
"…Boundary of what?"
Kael didn't answer immediately.
Because he didn't need to.
The ground ahead—
Ended.
Not gradually.
Not fading.
Ended.
A massive drop stretched before them—
An edge.
Beyond it—
Nothing.
Not darkness.
Not light.
Just… absence.
Edrin stopped immediately.
"…No."
Ronan walked up beside him and looked down.
"…Huh."
Lyra's voice tightened. "That's not a natural void."
Edrin shook his head.
"…I don't like edges like this."
"You don't like anything," Ronan said.
"That's because everything is dangerous!"
Kael stepped closer to the edge.
Careful.
Measured.
"…This is where the world breaks completely."
Edrin stared.
"…And we're supposed to go there?"
"Yes."
Edrin let out a long, tired sigh.
"…Of course we are."
The figures behind them stopped completely now.
Not moving closer.
Not following further.
Just… watching.
Edrin glanced back.
"…They won't come."
"No," Lyra said softly.
"They can't."
Edrin nodded slowly.
"…Because there's nothing left there."
Silence.
The wind died again.
The sky above shimmered faintly.
And from below—
From the void—
Something moved.
Edrin froze.
"…That's new."
Ronan leaned forward slightly.
"…That's interesting."
"I don't like 'interesting' anymore!"
A shape rose from the void.
Slowly.
Not climbing.
Not flying.
Just… appearing.
Forming.
Piece by piece.
Edrin's chest tightened.
"…That's not like the others."
"No," Lyra said.
"It's not."
The shape continued to rise—
Not fully formed—
But vast.
Incomplete.
And yet—
Overwhelming.
Edrin took a step back.
"…That feels worse than the sky thing."
Kael's grip tightened on his weapon.
"…This is the edge of everything."
Ronan grinned.
"Good."
Edrin looked at him.
"…You're insane."
The shape stopped rising.
Half-formed.
Waiting.
Edrin swallowed.
"…It's not coming up all the way."
Lyra nodded.
"…Because it doesn't need to."
Edrin closed his eyes briefly.
"…I don't like that answer either."
The void pulsed.
The shape shifted.
And a voice came—
Not from above.
Not from around.
From below.
"Return… what was taken…"
Edrin froze.
"…That sounds important."
Lyra's voice was tense.
"…It's talking about them."
Edrin glanced back at the echoes.
Then back at the void.
"…You mean I wasn't supposed to take responsibility?"
Ronan smirked. "Too late now."
Edrin sighed.
"…Yeah."
The voice came again.
Stronger.
"They do not belong to you."
Edrin frowned.
"…I know that."
A pause.
"…But I didn't take them."
Silence.
The void pulsed again.
"Then leave them."
Edrin looked back.
At the figures.
Waiting.
Fading.
Holding on.
His chest tightened.
"…No."
Lyra looked at him.
"…Edrin."
He shook his head.
"…No."
A pause.
"…I said we'd try."
Ronan grinned.
"There he is."
Kael didn't object.
Lyra smiled softly.
The void shifted.
The presence below grew heavier.
"Then you will fall with them."
Edrin swallowed.
"…That sounds like a threat."
"It is," Kael said.
Edrin nodded slowly.
"…Okay."
A breath.
"…New rule."
Ronan laughed. "Of course."
Edrin stepped forward.
Closer to the edge.
Hands shaking.
Heart racing.
"…If something tells me to let go…"
A pause.
"…I probably shouldn't."
The void surged.
The shape rose slightly higher.
The air trembled.
Edrin tightened his grip on his sword.
"…Alright."
A nervous smile appeared.
"…Let's not fall."
And this time—
The edge wasn't just a boundary.
It was a choice.