The Riftborn moved like a tide behind her, silent and watchful. Some wore the husks of memories—fragments of people long forgotten—while others shimmered like thoughts that never quite formed. Rose led them through the blank salt plane, each footstep echoing louder than it should in the hollow realm.
"So," Basil said lightly, trying not to trip over a floating spine, "you're their queen now?"
Rose didn't answer right away. She walked with purpose, the key held tight in her fist. "Not queen. Not yet."
"Dictator?" Gregory suggested. "Supreme magical overlord?"
Mortain narrowed his eyes. "Careful. This is how power rewrites people."
Rose glanced at him. "I'm not changing. I'm just… bargaining."
Nimbus bobbed closer. "With who?"
She stopped. "With them."
From the shifting line of Riftborn, one stepped forward. Its form resembled a woman, stitched from stars and smoke. She bowed deeply. "You bear the edge's kiss. The Others hear you. They stir because of you."
Rose tilted her head. "Do they want me to open the Veil again?"
The creature nodded slowly. "Not yet. But soon. The wound festers. Time bleeds. They will return."
"And if I say no?"
"You will still be the blade."
Rose's jaw tightened. "Then I need something in return."
The creature's smile flickered on and off. "A bargain?"
"Yes," Rose said, stepping into the center of the endless plain. "You want me to lead you? Fine. Then you protect the mortal world. You don't touch Emberfen. You don't touch anyone I love. You answer only to me."
The Riftborn rippled, like a million voices agreeing without speaking.
Mortain stepped up beside her. "You're playing a dangerous game."
"I know." She looked up at him, softer now. "But it's the only one left. They won't stop. So I'll use them until I find a way to seal them forever."
Mortain's gaze held hers. "And when that happens?"
"Then I'll vanish," she said. "With them."
Silence.
Basil broke it. "Okay, can we not talk about tragic magical self-sacrifice for five minutes?"
Gregory snorted. "Seconded."
Nimbus sparked nervously. "Also, minor issue—there's a hole in the sky back in the real world, and reality is still leaking out."
Rose nodded. "We head back. I'll command the Riftborn to hold the line at the Veil's edge."
She turned back to her new... army.
"You hear me?" she called. "You exist because of the tear. But the world you crave isn't yours to consume. Stand guard. Watch. Obey."
They bowed.
The woman of smoke whispered, "It shall be so, Rift Queen."
Mortain's fingers brushed hers. "We'll find a way. Together."
She met his eyes. "Then don't let me forget who I am."
And with that, she raised the key once more.
Light folded inward.
The Riftborn howled in unison.
And the group stepped through the breach—back into a world now teetering on the edge of peace, prophecy, and complete magical collapse.