The ground trembled as a towering figure emerged from the Rift. She was draped in blackened stardust, her face obscured by a veil that shimmered with cosmic nightmares.
"Orion," she purred, her voice both seductive and chilling. "Did you think I wouldn't find you?"
Lyra stepped in front of him, but the Queen merely laughed. "Ah, my dear Lyra. You play your part well, but you do not yet see the full game."
Orion clenched his fists. "What do you want?"
The Veiled Queen tilted her head. "A simple choice. Open the Rift, and I will grant you knowledge beyond mortal comprehension. Seal it, and you will lose everything you hold dear."
Orion's heart pounded. He looked at Lyra, then at Astra and Kael. The memories of his past life whispered warnings in his mind.
This was the choice he had made before. And it had cost him everything.
Chapter 27: The Betrayal of Fate
Just as Orion prepared to make his decision, Astra gasped. A figure stepped out from the shadows—Seraphina.
"You," Orion breathed. His mind reeled. She was here, in the present, the same as he remembered her from the past.
Lyra's expression darkened. "Who is she?"
Seraphina's violet gaze locked onto Orion's. "Your only hope."
The Veiled Queen smiled. "Ah, how delightful. The paradox is complete."
Orion barely had time to react before Seraphina raised her hand—and a pulse of magic knocked him off his feet.
The Rift exploded with energy, and everything turned to darkness.
The choices are narrowing. Who will Orion trust? The Veiled Queen, Seraphina, or his own memories? The next chapter will decide the fate of the universe.