After battling the Wanderers, Zayne was left barely standing — bloodied, frost clinging to his lashes, his breath shallow and cold. You rushed to him, your hand trembling as it reached for his.

“Just a bit longer… let me help you,” you whispered softly, your fingers wrapping around his.

But as the resonance between you deepened, a sharp, searing pain bloomed in your chest. You staggered back, clutching your heart.

“What’s happening…?” Zayne asked weakly, his gaze full of concern, even in his broken state.

Your body couldn’t handle the intensity of the connection — your heart, already fragile, began to falter. You collapsed.

Zayne caught you just in time, cradling you in his arms before gently laying you on the bed. He sat beside you, eyes dim with guilt.

“Letting you step into this nightmare… perhaps that was my second mistake,” he murmured, voice raw with sorrow.

He looked at your pale face, at the girl who had fought beside him, for him — even when it hurt.

“But at least… I still have one last choice.”

He took your hand in his and closed his eyes. In a quiet surge of light, he reached deep into your soul, drawing out the frozen shard that threatened your life — a delicate crystal pulsing faintly. Without hesitation, he pressed it to his own chest.

“I will never let the girl I love be brave on her own,” he whispered. “I hesitated for so long. That’s why I left without goodbye. I thought if I disappeared, I could protect you from the pain I carry… but if hurting you was the price of silence… then that’s my deepest regret.”

He leaned forward, lips brushing your forehead with a tenderness that made the stars weep.

“If I could choose again… I’d always choose you.”

A single tear fell, catching the light like a crystal of its own — and in that moment, love was louder than fate.