Kael and Elira stood before the doorway of a world remade.
The threads of the Heartloom had retreated gradually, leaving warm marks upon their bodies—sigils that pulsed with gentle, living vibration. The other couples stood around them in silence, as if they were observing the rotation of some great wheel. A moment out of time.
And the Loom shone once more—and opened.
Not like a door, not like a gate, but like a veil falling away. Beyond the crystalline bloom, a flash of tears ignited: a maelstrom of living light filled with memory, thought, and time. Across it, the world hovered—unaware of what had just occurred.
Elira's hold on Kael's fingers tightened. "We can't return the way we entered."
"No," he agreed. "We return as more."
Aelric stepped forward, his expression solemn. "The Loom opened for you. But it also gave you power. You are now its Voice, Kael. And you, Elira, its Flame. Together… the two of you are the new axis."
