The rift pulsed violently, its chaotic energy swirling around them like a storm of fractured realities. Drayven's heart raced as he locked eyes with Drayce. His brother, now a shadow of the person he once knew, stood before him—twisted by the influence of the Architects.
"You don't understand, do you, Drayven?" Drayce's voice was cold, distant. "The fracture is inevitable. It has to happen. The multiverse can't survive in its current state. The Architects are saving it, reshaping everything into something greater."
Drayven clenched his fists, the pressure of the rift pressing against his chest. His brother's words felt like a betrayal, a lie wrapped in a veneer of reason. Saving it? How could Drayce believe this madness?
"You're wrong," Drayven said through gritted teeth. "The Architects are destroying everything. They don't care about saving anything. They want control, power over time itself."
Drayce's lips curled into a thin smile. "You still don't get it, do you? Power isn't the goal. It's about order. You've always been so caught up in what's lost, you never saw the bigger picture."
The rift around them began to ripple with energy, stretching and pulling like a living organism. Reality seemed to splinter at the edges, and Drayven could feel the weight of it—this was more than just a battle between brothers. It was the multiverse itself on the brink of collapse.
"I've seen what happens if you stop the fracture, Drayven," Drayce continued, his tone growing colder. "The endless timelines, the chaos, the unpredictability—it's tearing everything apart. The Architects are the only ones who can stabilize it. If you think you can rewrite the cycle, you'll only create more destruction."
"Stop!" Drayven shouted, unable to contain the surge of anger and disbelief in his chest. "You're lying! You've been brainwashed by them. You were my brother! I thought you were dead. I thought you were gone, and now you're standing here, trying to destroy everything I care about."
The words hit Drayce like a physical blow. His eyes flickered, just for a moment, and the smirk faded slightly. But then the darkness in his eyes returned, stronger than before. He raised his hand, and the rift responded, twisting and bending in response to his command.
"You don't know what you're talking about," Drayce growled. "You were weak. You still are. You'll never understand the power that comes with rewriting the multiverse. The fracture is a gift, Drayven. A gift that will make everything perfect."
Drayven's heart pounded in his chest. He had to stop him. He couldn't let Drayce go down this path any further. The power Drayce wielded, the strength of the Architects, it was all too much for Drayven to comprehend. But he had no choice.
He stepped forward, meeting his brother's gaze, his own resolve hardening with each passing second. "I won't let you do this, Drayce. You may be lost to them, but I'm not giving up on you."
For a moment, Drayce hesitated, his hand lowering slightly. The rift, too, seemed to pause, its energy flickering. Drayven saw it—the tiniest glimmer of the brother he remembered, buried deep beneath the twisted exterior. But it was gone in an instant.
"Don't waste your breath, Drayven," Drayce said, his voice now a low, menacing whisper. "This is how it has to be. You've come too far to turn back now."
Without warning, Drayce raised both hands, and the rift exploded in a flash of blinding light. Drayven was thrown back, the force of the energy knocking the breath from his lungs. He hit the ground hard, the air thick with the sound of tearing fabric as timelines collided and fractured in the chaos.
Reya appeared beside him in an instant, her energy flaring as she tried to shield him from the shockwave. "Drayven!" she called, her voice urgent. "Get up! You can't let him—"
But before she could finish, Drayce's power surged once again, this time directed at Reya. A bolt of energy shot toward her, faster than Drayven could react. He saw it coming—saw the deadly flash of power—before instinctively throwing himself in front of her.
The impact was unbearable.
Drayven cried out as the energy struck him, the force of it searing through his body. His vision blurred, and the pain was unlike anything he had ever felt. He crumpled to the ground, struggling to stay conscious as the world around him spun wildly.
"Drayven!" Reya's voice pierced the haze of his thoughts. She knelt beside him, her hands glowing with healing energy, but it wasn't enough to stop the damage.
Drayce's cold laughter echoed in the distance as he stood there, watching them. "Pathetic. You're weak, Drayven. Always have been. You'll never stop what's coming. No one can."
Drayven's pulse pounded in his ears as the pain continued to cloud his thoughts. He couldn't let this be the end. He couldn't let his brother destroy everything he had fought for.
Reya's touch on his arm pulled him back from the brink of unconsciousness. Her energy flowed into him, but it was clear she wasn't capable of healing him fully, not with the rift's power pushing against them.
"No," Drayven gasped, forcing himself to focus. "I won't give up." His voice was hoarse, his words barely audible, but the determination in his eyes burned brightly. "I won't let him win."
Reya met his gaze, her eyes filled with both fear and hope. "Then you'll need to fight. Not just against him, but against the fracture itself."
Drayven nodded weakly, standing with her help. The rift continued to pulse around them, its energy ever-growing. It wasn't just his brother that he had to stop—it was the very fabric of reality itself that was being torn apart.
And for the first time, Drayven understood. The battle wasn't just for his brother's soul—it was for the soul of the multiverse.
"I'll stop it," Drayven said, his voice filled with quiet determination. "I'll stop the Architects. I'll stop this cycle. I'll rewrite everything if I have to."
With a deep breath, Drayven stepped forward once again, the weight of his choices settling on his shoulders. He was no longer just fighting for his past. Now, he was fighting for the future of every timeline, every possibility that hung in the balance.
And the true battle had only just begun.