The Twilight Peak was left behind, its spiral towers and bridges of light dissolved in a whirl of silvery radiance as the portal closed behind them. Liara felt the familiar sensation of crossing between worlds—as if her essence momentarily dissolved and then reassembled, but this time the process was different. Smoother, almost pleasant. Perhaps her new nature—a partially reunited shard of Aeon—made traveling through the Veil less traumatic.

  When the radiance dispersed, they found themselves... nowhere. Liara blinked, trying to focus her gaze, but there was nothing around to see—no landscape, no sky, not even emptiness. Just a whitish, milky space, devoid of landmarks and perspective.

  "Where are we?" she asked, turning to her companions.

  Daren stood nearby, his figure appearing strangely blurred at the edges, as if imprecisely drawn. Tella, on the contrary, looked more defined than she had at Twilight Peak—her silver form had acquired more distinct human contours, though her surface still resembled liquid metal.

  "This is the Interval," Tella replied, her voice sounding different—deeper, as if coming from everywhere at once. "The space between moments, between the heartbeats of worlds. Others call it the Void, Limbo, or the Gray Lands. But for me, bearing a shard of Chronos, this place is especially close."

  Liara looked around again, and now that her eyes had adjusted, she began to discern faint shadows and outlines—like ghostly copies of real landscapes, superimposed upon each other, constantly changing and flowing.

  "Are these... echoes of worlds?" she asked, intuitively understanding what she was seeing.

  Tella nodded, her silver "skin" shimmering, reflecting nonexistent light.

  "Exactly. The Interval preserves imprints of all realities, past and future. Time flows differently here... or more precisely, it doesn't exist at all." She made a gesture with her hand, and the milky void around them slightly parted, revealing clearer images of worlds. "Traveling through this place allows us to move not only through space but also through time, if one knows the way."

  Daren stared intently at the ghostly landscapes.

  "I've been to places between worlds, but I've never seen anything like this," he said. "Even the Borderlands are more... material."

  "Because the Borderlands are the boundary between spaces," Tella explained, beginning to move forward along an invisible path. "And the Interval is the boundary between times. Here we are at a point where present, past, and future touch. For an ordinary traveler, this place is dangerous—one could get lost forever between moments. But for those connected to Chronos..."

  She didn't finish the phrase, but the meaning was clear—she felt at home here.

  They moved behind Tella, walking on a surface that seemingly didn't exist. Daren stayed closer to Liara, his hand occasionally touching hers, as if he feared losing her in this strange place.

  "Be careful," Tella warned, turning around. "Don't look too long at any of the shadow-worlds. It's easy to lose yourself here, especially for those whose essence is already divided."

  Liara nodded, but couldn't resist the temptation to peer into the images floating past. One attracted her attention particularly strongly—a city by the sea, with tall white towers and floating gardens. There was something ineffably familiar about this image, as if she had seen this place in dreams or... in another life.

  "What world is that?" she asked, pointing to the vision.

  Tella slowed her pace and looked in the indicated direction.

  "That's Alteris," she answered after a pause. "One of the worlds of the First Circle, closest to the original reality. And yes, Liara, you were there. Or rather, another shard of Aeon lives there now, in a form you might find... surprising."

  Liara looked more closely and suddenly saw a figure hovering between the towers—a being woven of light and shadow, with wings spread like translucent sails. The figure seemed simultaneously alien and infinitely familiar to her.

  "Is that... part of me?" she whispered.

  "Yes," Tella confirmed. "A shard that found its path in Alteris, becoming a being that balances between material and ethereal. The locals call such beings Lightbearers."

  Daren watched the vision with an expression of deep wonder and longing.

  "I searched for her... for you for so many years," he said quietly. "And never thought you could take such forms."

  "Aeon, more than other Ancients, can adapt to different realities," said Tella, resuming her movement. "It's part of his nature as the Guardian of Balance—to find harmony in any form of existence."

  They continued their journey through the Interval, and Liara noticed that the space around them was gradually changing—becoming darker, denser, as if they were descending into deep waters. The shadow-worlds changed too, now dominated by images of twilight landscapes, ruins, and strange cities built from materials that seemed to exist on the edge between matter and energy.

  "We're approaching Necropolis," Tella explained, noticing Liara's questioning look. "The boundary between life and death is thinner here, and this is reflected in the Interval."

  Daren frowned, his hand instinctively resting on his weapon.

  "I've heard stories about Necropolis," he said. "They say the living and the dead exist side by side there, and the line between them is so blurred that sometimes it's difficult to distinguish one from the other."

  "That's true," Tella nodded. "Necropolis emerged at the site of an ancient fracture in the fabric of reality, which affected not only space but the very concept of existence. What is considered absolute in other worlds—life and death—is merely different aspects of a single continuum there."

  Liara felt a strange attraction to this place, as if part of her was already drawn there, to something kindred. Perhaps the shard of Aeon existing in Necropolis somehow resonated with her own essence even through the Interval.

  Suddenly the space around them trembled, like the surface of water struck by a stone. The shadow-worlds spun faster, losing form and merging into a chaotic whirl.

  "What's happening?" exclaimed Daren, grabbing Liara to maintain balance.

  Tella's face, as much as it could be distinguished on her silver surface, expressed concern.

  "A disturbance in the Interval," she said, her voice becoming sharper. "Someone else is traveling through it, and their method is cruder than ours."

  "The Guardians?" asked Daren, his eyes narrowing.

  "Possibly," Tella made a strange gesture with her hands, and the space around them slightly stabilized. "The Order of Guardians possesses artifacts capable of tearing the Veil directly, without considering the natural paths between worlds. Such transitions leave... scars."

  A new wave of tremors passed through the Interval, stronger this time. The shadow-worlds distorted, some beginning to dissolve, others, conversely, becoming unnaturally clear, protruding from the general background.

  Liara felt a strange anxiety rising within her—not just an emotion, but something deeper, at the level of her essence. As if the shard of Aeon itself sensed a threat to the balance that was its primal nature.

  "We need to move faster," said Tella, her form beginning to change, becoming more fluid, adapting to the instability of the Interval. "If these are indeed the Guardians, they can sense us, especially Liara. The shard of Aeon in her current form shines like a beacon for them."

  They quickened their pace, almost running through the distorting space. The shadow-worlds flashed around ever faster, merging into a kaleidoscope of images and impressions. Liara caught herself beginning to lose the sense of her own body—her new form, a partially reunited shard, seemed to try to resonate with all worlds simultaneously, stretching like a thin thread across multiple realities.

  "Liara!" Daren's voice reached her as if from afar, though he held her hand. "Don't give in! Focus on your form, on who you are now!"

  She blinked, trying to gather her scattering consciousness. With her inner vision, she saw dozens, hundreds of versions of herself—a priestess of Veirin, a silvery tree in Verdantis, a winged being in Alteris, and many other forms, some so alien they couldn't be described in human terms.

  "I... can't," she exhaled, feeling her essence stretching thinner and thinner. "Too many... versions of me..."

  Tella appeared beside her, her silver hand grasping Liara's wrist.

  "Look at me," she commanded, and her voice cut through the chaos of the Interval like a sharp blade. "I too am a shard, also part of something greater. But I've learned to maintain myself, my individuality. You can do the same."

  Liara focused her gaze on Tella's silver face, which now showed more distinct human features—high cheekbones, a fine nose, almond-shaped eyes without pupils. In these eyes, she saw a reflection of her own struggle—the bearer of Chronos's shard also felt the pull of multiple times and realities but had learned to resist it, preserving her unique form of existence.

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  "How?" asked Liara, her voice trembling with tension.

  "Find the center," Tella answered. "Don't try to deny the multiplicity of your nature, but choose a point of support around which everything revolves. An anchor in the storm of realities."

  Liara closed her eyes, immersing herself inward. In the kaleidoscope of images, memories, and possibilities, she searched for what remained unchanged, what belonged to her, not to Aeon or his countless shards. And she found it—a tiny spark of individuality, a personality that was not just a fragment of an ancient entity, but something unique, born from the experience of countless lives.

  She focused on this spark, feeding it with the energy of her will, her choice. The spark blazed up, turning into a flame, illuminating the inner chaos, structuring it, giving it form and meaning.

  When Liara opened her eyes, the Interval around them still raged, but now she saw it differently—as a multitude of threads connecting realities, like a web of possibilities and paths. And she was not dissolved in this chaos, but stood at its center, whole and unharmed.

  "I feel it," she whispered. "All the connections, all the paths... As if I could touch any of them."

  "That's part of Aeon's nature," said Tella, releasing her hand. "The ability to see and sense the balance between all aspects of reality. But it's dangerous to yield to this completely, especially here in the Interval. You could have dispersed, dissolved into infinity of variants."

  A new jolt shook the space around them, stronger than the previous ones. In the distance—if the concept of distance even existed in this place—a bright glow appeared, cutting through the milky void of the Interval like a red-hot knife.

  "A breach," Tella said tensely. "Someone is forcibly tearing the fabric between worlds. And judging by the energy signature... yes, it's the Guardians."

  Daren cursed, his face distorted with anger and anxiety.

  "How did they find us so quickly?"

  "Not us," Tella shook her head. "They're heading to Necropolis. Apparently, after the failure in Veirin, they decided to get ahead of us, to find the next shard before we reach it."

  Liara, still experiencing an enhanced perception of connections between worlds, discerned a thin thread stretching from the distant glow to one of the shadow-worlds—dark, with glimmers of silvery light resembling stars on a moonless night.

  "Necropolis," she said, pointing to this image. "I feel it... and the shard there. It's... disturbed. As if sensing approaching danger."

  Tella nodded, her silver face becoming even more human—now reflecting genuine concern.

  "We must get ahead of them," she said. "If the Guardians reach the shard first..."

  She didn't finish, but it was clear—the consequences could be catastrophic. The Order of Guardians, with their aspiration for control and power, didn't understand the true nature of the shards and how their interference could disrupt the fragile balance of the multiverse.

  "How?" asked Daren. "They're already ahead of us."

  Tella looked at Liara, and in her gaze appeared something resembling hope.

  "There is a way," she said slowly. "But it's risky and requires... special abilities. Abilities that Liara now possesses."

  Liara felt something inside her responding to these words—part of her nature as a shard of Aeon, guardian of balance and paths between worlds.

  "What should I do?"

  Tella moved closer, her silver face now just a few centimeters from Liara's.

  "You see the connections between worlds," she said. "This is not just perception, it's... ability. Aeon could travel between realities without portals or artifacts, simply... stepping from one world into another, following the natural paths he felt."

  She paused, giving Liara time to comprehend what was said.

  "You carry within you part of his essence, more awakened after the merger in Veirin. Perhaps you can do the same—create a path directly, bypassing the usual limitations of movement between worlds."

  Daren stepped forward, his face expressing concern.

  "Tella, this is too dangerous. She's only beginning to understand her nature. Attempting to use such abilities without preparation..."

  "We have no choice," Tella cut him off. "If we move by the usual path, the Guardians will get ahead of us. And you know what they'll do to the shard."

  Liara gazed at the shadow-world of Necropolis, still sensing the thin thread of connection linking her to the shard there. She felt its anxiety, its loneliness... and a strange kinship. As if this part of Aeon was closer to her than others, resonating more strongly with her own essence.

  "I'll try," she said, not taking her eyes off the dark image of the world. "Tell me what to do."

  Tella nodded, her silver features softening.

  "Focus on the connection you feel with the shard in Necropolis. Don't just observe it, but... become it. Imagine that you are not a point in space, but a line connecting two points. Stretch across the Interval, unite here and there into a single whole."

  Liara closed her eyes, concentrating on the feeling of connection. She imagined her essence stretching, extending as the finest thread through the infinity of the Interval to the dark world where a kindred shard dwelled. The thread grew thicker, turning into a rope, then into a bridge, then...

  Into a road. A path visible only to her, but absolutely real.

  "I see it," she whispered, not opening her eyes. "The path... It was always there, I just didn't notice."

  She extended her hands, one to Daren, the other to Tella.

  "Hold onto me. And whatever happens, don't let go."

  They took her hands, and Liara stepped forward, setting foot not into the void of the Interval, but onto the path she had created. At that moment, the reality around them changed—the milky void transformed into a tunnel of light, rushing past at incredible speed. They seemed to be falling and flying simultaneously, carried by the current that Liara had created with her will and perception.

  Daren was shouting something, but his voice was inaudible in the roar of energy surrounding them. Tella, on the contrary, seemed absolutely calm, her silver body slightly glowing, reflecting the streams of light around.

  Liara felt... everything. Every world through which their path passed, every being, every particle of energy and matter. For a moment, she sensed herself not as a separate consciousness, but as part of a gigantic network connecting the entire multiverse into a single whole.

  And then she saw them—other shards of Aeon, scattered across countless worlds. Some slept, unaware of their true nature. Others were awakened and active, some even aware of themselves as parts of something greater. Still others... were distorted, changed, transformed into something other than they were meant to be.

  And then—another glimpse, fleeting but bright: a being not a shard, but somehow connected to them all. A dark figure, observing from beyond ordinary reality, patiently waiting, gathering information...

  The vision disappeared as quickly as it had appeared when the tunnel of light suddenly ended, throwing them into reality with force comparable to striking a solid surface.

  Liara blinked, coming to her senses. They stood on a stone ledge overlooking a strange city—a city where architecture seemed to challenge the laws of physics. Buildings of black, gray, and white stone rose in spirals and arches, some hovering in the air without visible support. The streets were paved with slabs that seemed to glow slightly from within with a silvery light.

  But most striking was the sky—or what replaced it. Instead of sky, a dome of darkness hung over the city, studded with stars that moved and pulsated as if alive. And at the center of this dome was something resembling a gigantic eye of silvery light, slowly rotating and observing everything happening below.

  "Necropolis," Daren exhaled, looking at the city spread before them. "We... truly are here."

  Tella nodded, her silver form gradually taking on a more stable, human appearance—a slender woman with features reminiscent of statues of ancient goddesses, but retaining the metallic sheen of her skin.

  "You did it, Liara," she said with notes of surprise and respect in her voice. "You created a path through the Interval directly, bypassing the usual limitations of transition between worlds. It's... impressive."

  Liara, however, was barely listening. Her attention was fixed on the city below, or rather—on one specific building at its center. An enormous dome-shaped structure, resembling a gigantic temple or observatory, from whose dome erupted a column of silvery light, connecting with the "eye" in the sky.

  "There," she whispered, pointing to the building. "The shard is there. I feel it... and it feels me."

  Daren carefully examined the horizon, his experienced gaze of a traveler between worlds looking for signs of danger.

  "I don't see traces of the Guardians," he said after a pause. "Perhaps we managed to get ahead of them."

  "Not for long," Tella shook her head. "Their transition method is cruder, but they will appear soon. We need to move without delay."

  She pointed to a winding path leading from the ledge down to the outskirts of the city.

  "But first, you should know something about Necropolis," her voice became more serious. "This world exists on the border between life and death. Beings dwell here who are simultaneously alive and dead, or neither. And the laws here are... different."

  "What laws?" asked Daren, his hand automatically resting on his weapon.

  "Time flows differently here," Tella answered. "Sometimes faster, sometimes slower. Space too is not always stable—distances can change, paths that seemed straight may lead to unexpected places."

  She paused, her silver eyes seriously looking at her companions.

  "But most importantly—here memory and reality intertwine. What you remember may materialize. What you forget may disappear. Be careful with your thoughts and feelings."

  Liara nodded, but her attention was still fixed on the central building and the column of light emanating from it. She felt a strange attraction, as if the shard there called to her, reached for her across space.

  "How does it... exist here?" she asked. "A shard of Aeon in a world between life and death?"

  Tella looked in the same direction, her silver face reflecting the light of the strange sky.

  "In a form you may find both surprising and familiar," she said. "The Guardian of Necropolis, Master of the Threshold—that's what locals call him. A being able to see both sides of existence and maintain the balance between them."

  She began descending the path, gesturing for them to follow.

  "Come. Time in Necropolis can be deceptive, but I feel—we have little of it. The Guardians are approaching, and their intentions definitely don't align with the interests of the balance of worlds."

  They began their descent to the strange city on the border between life and death, where they awaited a meeting with yet another part of the divided essence of Aeon—a shard that had found a unique path of existence in a world where the very concepts of being and non-being were blurred beyond recognition. And where, perhaps, Liara would find new answers about the nature of her "third path"—a path that was neither complete merger nor complete separation, but something new, unique, evolving.

  At the same time, in another part of Necropolis, a glow appeared in the air—bright, unnatural, tearing the very fabric of reality. The glow expanded, becoming a rift from which stepped five figures in dark robes, led by a tall man with cold blue eyes.

  Magister Elric looked around, his face expressing a mixture of disgust and determination.

  "A foul place," he muttered. "Do you feel the distortion? Reality itself is unstable here."

  One of the Guardians accompanying him, holding a strange device resembling a compass with a crystal instead of a needle, nodded.

  "Magister, I'm detecting the shard's signature. It's strong, active. And..." he fell silent, frowning. "Strange. I'm registering another energy source, very similar to the first, but moving..."

  "Liara," Elric hissed, his eyes narrowing. "She's already here. Somehow they got ahead of us."

  He turned to his companions, his face hard, determined.

  "Change of plan. Priority task—intercept Liara and her companions before they reach the shard. If they reunite..."

  He didn't finish the phrase, but in his eyes flashed a shadow of fear—fear of a power that could slip out of the Order's control, become unmanageable, unpredictable.

  Above Necropolis, the gigantic silver eye at the center of the starry dome blinked, as if noticing the new visitors. The light emanating from the central building momentarily grew brighter, pulsing in rhythm with the beating of an invisible heart. The shard of Aeon, stored there, sensed the approach of both its kin and its hunters.

  And in this strange world, where the boundary between life and death was as thin as a papyrus sheet, a new chapter began in the story of the divided entity that once was the Guardian of Balance of the entire multiverse.