The sound of reality cracking open was unlike anything Zynth had ever heard. It was as if the very bones of *Chroma-Veila* were splintering under the weight of the rift. The once-vibrant skies of the realm, with their shimmering colors and flowing rivers of light, had been consumed by darkness. The pulse of the rift beat in time with the trembling ground beneath him, a heartbeat of chaos that rippled through the world.
Zynth lay sprawled on the ground, his vision swimming as he tried to process the devastation unfolding before him. His body ached from the force of the explosion, and the Blue Atomic Power, which had surged through him moments ago, had drained him to the point of exhaustion. His fingers twitched, but the once-familiar hum of magic now felt distant, out of reach.
The rift had expanded far beyond anything they had expected. Tendrils of dark energy stretched from its core, wrapping around the floating islands and the once-lush fields of *Chroma-Veila*, disintegrating them into nothing but ash. The realm was collapsing—*their world* was collapsing.
Zynth pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, his head spinning. He blinked against the haze of dust and ash that filled the air, searching desperately for Aurelia. The chaos around him made it hard to focus—fires burned where trees once stood, and pieces of floating islands crashed into the ground, sending up clouds of debris.
Then he saw her.
Aurelia stood at the edge of the rift, her face pale, her body trembling. The light of the rift flickered across her skin, casting eerie shadows over her as she stared at the destruction she had unleashed. Her once-vibrant glow was dimmed now, her colors muted and flickering with instability. She looked as broken as the realm around them.
"Aurelia!" Zynth shouted, forcing himself to his feet, stumbling toward her.
She didn't respond. Her eyes were locked on the rift, her breath coming in shallow gasps. It was as if she couldn't hear him—couldn't see anything but the void she had opened. The experiment that had spiraled out of control. The rift that was tearing their world apart.
Zynth reached her, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from the edge. "Aurelia, we have to go! It's over—*we have to leave before the entire realm collapses!*"
Her eyes flicked to his, and for the first time, he saw the full extent of her fear—fear not just of the rift, but of herself. "I… I didn't mean for this to happen, Zynth. I didn't mean to—"
"I know," he cut her off, his voice strained with urgency. "But it's too late to fix this. We have to get out of here before the rift takes everything."
Aurelia's gaze drifted back to the rift, her body stiffening as a fresh wave of tremors rolled through the ground beneath them. She shook her head, her voice barely a whisper. "I can't leave. This is my fault. I have to stop it."
Zynth tightened his grip on her arm. "You *can't* stop it! No one can. The rift is out of control. We need to find a way out before—"
The earth beneath them buckled violently, and Zynth staggered, pulling Aurelia with him as another piece of the floating islands above came crashing down. The very air seemed to groan in pain as the fabric of the realm tore further, the once-beautiful landscape crumbling into ruin.
Around them, the other Aurora Hunters fought valiantly, using every ounce of their magic to stabilize the rift, to contain the devastation, but it was no use. Zynth could see it in their faces—the growing realization that they were losing this battle. Their combined power, even with the might of the Blue Atomic Power, wasn't enough.
"Zyntherius!" Altair Voss's voice rang out through the chaos, sharp and urgent.
Zynth turned to see the senior Hunter approaching, his face grim, his normally calm expression fractured by the enormity of what was happening. "We have to evacuate the realm! The rift is expanding too quickly. There's nothing more we can do here."
Zynth's stomach twisted at Altair's words. Evacuate? *Leave the realm behind*? The thought of abandoning *Chroma-Veila*—their home, their world—felt like giving up on everything they had fought for.
But as he looked around at the collapsing landscape, at the swirling mass of energy that was devouring their realm, he knew Altair was right. They couldn't save it.
"We can't just leave," Zynth said, his voice tight with disbelief. "There has to be something else we can do—"
"There's no time!" Altair snapped, his voice cutting through Zynth's panic. "The rift is destabilizing faster than we anticipated. If we don't get everyone out now, the entire realm will be swallowed by the void!"
Zynth felt his heart clench in his chest. *Swallowed by the void.* The words felt like a death sentence, but they were true. The rift's pull was growing stronger by the second, and if they stayed any longer, there would be no escape.
Aurelia looked up at Altair, her eyes wide with shock. "I can fix it," she whispered, her voice cracking. "I just need more time…"
Altair's gaze softened, but his tone remained firm. "Aurelia, there's nothing you can do. The rift's power is beyond us now."
Aurelia's face crumpled, and for a moment, Zynth saw the full weight of her guilt crashing down on her. She had always been so determined, so confident in her ability to control the forces she worked with. But now, as the reality of what she had done became impossible to ignore, that confidence shattered.
"We have to go," Altair said, his voice filled with an urgency that left no room for argument. "Zynth, get her out of here. I'll coordinate the evacuation."
Zynth hesitated, his eyes flicking between Altair and Aurelia. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to give up on the realm that had been his home for his entire life. But there was no choice.
"Go," Altair repeated, his gaze locking on Zynth's. "That's an order."
Zynth nodded, his heart heavy. He turned to Aurelia, his hand gripping hers tightly. "Come on. We need to move."
Aurelia's legs felt like lead as Zynth pulled her toward the edge of the crumbling field. The rift's energy surged behind them, a deafening roar that seemed to tear at the air itself. Zynth could feel the pull of the void, like a gravitational force that threatened to drag them both into the abyss if they lingered too long.
But just as they reached the edge of the field, Aurelia stopped, her hand slipping from Zynth's grasp.
"I can't," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I can't leave this… I can't leave *everything.*"
Zynth turned back to her, panic flaring in his chest. "Aurelia, we have to go—*now!*"
But she stood frozen, her eyes locked on the rift. Her voice cracked as she spoke. "This was supposed to be the answer, Zynth. This was supposed to show us the multiverse… to make everything *better.*"
Zynth's throat tightened, his heart breaking at the sight of her. She had been so focused on her dream, so determined to find answers, and now that dream had crumbled into ruin. But he couldn't let her die here—he wouldn't let her sacrifice herself for a mistake.
"Aurelia," Zynth said, stepping closer to her, his voice filled with desperation. "You're more important than this. Please. We can survive this. But you have to come with me."
Aurelia looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I never wanted this to happen," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
"I know," Zynth said softly, reaching out to take her hand again. "But you can't stay here."
For a moment, he thought she might come with him. But then the ground beneath them shuddered violently, and the rift surged again, its energy tearing through the air with a deafening roar.
Before Zynth could react, a massive crack opened beneath his feet, and the world tilted violently. He tried to grab Aurelia, but the ground gave way, and he felt himself falling—falling into the dark void that had swallowed their realm.
---
**End of Chapter 10**