The air thickened the moment Celestine clasped the Fragment of the Veil.
A thousand futures surged through her veins—fractured timelines unraveling in flashes of grief, triumph, betrayal, and fire. Her knees buckled under the pressure, but she held on, anchoring herself with a single truth: she had to choose.
Veyrion placed a steadying hand on her shoulder. "The fragment doesn't show one path—it shows all. Don't let it drown you."
She looked up, sweat beading at her brow. "It's not just the futures I'm seeing… It's memories. Versions of me that never were."
Elias frowned. "That doesn't sound normal. You're not—split, are you?"
"No," she said slowly. "But I think the fragment is trying to warn me."
Alistair's gaze shifted toward the mirrored walls. The reflections danced with motion—some showed Noctis-Lux in ruins, others wrapped in golden peace. In one, Celestine stood alone atop a tower of bones. In another, Malrik knelt at her feet, chained.
Then, one mirror shattered.
Cracks spiderwebbed outward, darkness spilling from the frame like ink in water. A low growl echoed through the chamber.
Veyrion stiffened. "We're not alone."
From the splintered mirror stepped a creature—part shadow, part memory. It moved like smoke, but its eyes gleamed with purpose. Not just a vision—this was a Hollowed Future, born from possibilities corrupted.
"Step back," Alistair warned, drawing his blade.
Celestine didn't move. Her Core pulsed in response to the shard, growing hotter by the second. "No… I think it's drawn to me."
The Hollowed Future lunged.
Before it could reach her, Elias hurled a throwing knife, striking its center—but the blade passed through, slicing only mist. The creature responded by howling—a sound that fractured their senses.
Celestine raised the fragment high. Light surged from her palm, forming a radiant barrier that knocked the shadow backward. But the effort drained her.
"It's feeding on fractured timelines," Veyrion growled. "We can't kill it. Not here."
Celestine nodded, gritting her teeth. "Then we seal it."
With a breathless whisper, she drew on the Core's full power. The mirrors around them lit up, responding to her command. One by one, they aligned behind the creature—converging into a tunnel of glass and echo.
Alistair and Elias moved fast, baiting the Hollowed Future toward the light. As it passed through the final threshold, Celestine slammed the shard into the pedestal.
The chamber convulsed.
The mirror tunnel collapsed inward, dragging the Hollowed Future with it. A final screech echoed, and then—silence.
The mirrors went dark.
Celestine collapsed to her knees, panting. "I didn't know I could do that…"
"You didn't," Veyrion said, helping her up. "The Veil did."
Elias stepped forward, face pale. "So we're up against creatures from possible futures now? Wonderful."
Alistair didn't smile. His eyes remained fixed on the one remaining mirror—untouched, glowing faintly.
In it, Malrik stood beside a throne of obsidian, and behind him, something stirred—an eye, ancient and lidless, watching.
Celestine's fingers tightened around the shard.
Time was unraveling. The veil was breaking.
And they were running out of futures.