Chapter 20:The Reckoning of Fates
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The Temple was silent, save for the distant rumble of the ground beneath their feet, as if the world itself was holding its breath. Liana stood in the center of the fractured chamber, the shadows from the Abyss still swirling in the air, but now muted, as if they too were waiting. She could feel them—watching her. The Heart's presence inside her was a constant hum, a cold whisper that threatened to drown out her own thoughts.
Her hands trembled, though she had long since stopped trying to steady them. No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried to remain in control, she could feel the Heart pushing her, urging her toward something. She could feel the power that had been growing inside her, a force too great to ignore, a force that wanted to consume everything in its path.
But even as she stood there, her mind warring with itself, she knew one thing: It was too late.
The others stood at the edge of the room, their faces drawn, their eyes filled with a mixture of concern and wariness. They had been silent since her outburst, as if waiting for her to break, to let the darkness inside her fully consume her. But she wouldn't give them that satisfaction. She wouldn't give them the chance to see her weakness.
Rook, his arms crossed over his chest, his jaw tight, watched her with a lingering sadness in his eyes. Zareen and Cassandra stood behind him, their faces clouded with doubt, but there was something else there too—fear.
For the first time, Liana realized that they were afraid of her.
It stung more than she cared to admit. She had always been their protector, their strength in moments of darkness. But now, she was the one they feared. The one they no longer recognized.
"Liana," Rook said, his voice low and strained. "You can't keep doing this. We've seen what the Heart has done to you. We see what it's doing to you."
His words cut through the silence, but instead of snapping her out of her trance, they made the darkness inside her stir. She could feel it then—the part of her that was still connected to the Heart, still tethered to its will. She could feel it pulling, urging her to silence them, to push them all away.
But she couldn't. Not yet.
She forced herself to speak, her voice more steady than she felt. "I'm not the one who's lost, Rook. It's you. All of you."
His eyes narrowed, his lips parting as though to argue, but she continued before he could.
"You're afraid of me now. And I can see it in your eyes. You've all been wondering when I would break, haven't you? When I would become the very thing we're fighting against."
Rook took a step forward, his voice rising. "This isn't you, Liana. You're still you. But you're losing yourself to the Heart. You need to let go before—"
Before he could finish, Liana lifted a hand, silencing him. The motion was simple, but there was power behind it—an undeniable force that made the air crackle.
"You don't understand," she said softly, but with undeniable conviction. "The Heart isn't the enemy. It's me."
Her words fell into the room like a heavy weight. She could feel the shock ripple through the Guardians, could see their disbelief etched on their faces.
"I've already made my choice," she continued, her voice trembling but resolute. "The Heart chose me, and I won't let it go. It's a part of me now, and I won't fight it. I won't fight myself."
A sudden tension filled the room, thick and suffocating. Rook took another step toward her, his expression shifting from confusion to a deep, raw anger. "You're wrong," he said, voice trembling with emotion. "You're not yourself anymore. You're becoming the thing we swore to stop."
The words hit harder than any blow. Liana's chest tightened, her heart pounding in her ears. She could feel the Abyss creeping closer, its hunger growing inside her, its power calling to her, coaxing her into submission. But there was a part of her, deep inside, that wanted to resist.
It wasn't just the Heart. It was the choice she had made.
But now, standing in front of Rook, in front of all of them, she couldn't escape the truth. The fracture between them wasn't just about the Heart—it was about the path she had chosen. A path that led her further and further from the people who had once been her family.
"I am the Heart," she said, her voice breaking. "And if that means I have to walk this path alone, then so be it."
For a long moment, there was nothing but silence. The tension in the air was unbearable, thick enough to suffocate them all. But it was broken by Cassandra, her voice soft but firm.
"We're not letting you do this, Liana. We won't let you fall into the Abyss."
Liana's heart wrenched at her words, but the emptiness inside her only deepened. They didn't understand. They never could.
"You can't stop it," Liana said, her voice almost a whisper. "You can't stop me."
With those words, she turned, her back to them, as the room began to shift once more. The Heart within her pulsed, and she could feel the rift opening again—the world itself cracking under the pressure of her choice. The darkness began to pour into the cracks, filling the room with a sickly, suffocating energy.
"Liana!" Rook's voice echoed through the Temple, but it felt distant, like it was coming from another life, another time.
But she didn't turn back.
The world was fracturing, and with each step she took, each breath she drew, Liana could feel herself slipping further away from everything she had once believed in. And in that moment, she realized the true cost of the Heart's power.
It wasn't just her soul that had been consumed. It was her fate.
The others would try to stop her, but they would fail. They couldn't save her. No one could.
The Abyss had already claimed her.
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End of Chapter 20
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In Chapter 20, Liana reaches the breaking point, finally acknowledging that she has become one with the Heart. The fracture between her and the Guardians deepens, as they struggle to accept the transformation she has undergone. Rook's desperate attempts to reach her only push her further into the darkness, and Liana chooses to embrace the Heart's power, fully aware of the cost. As the rift reopens and the Abyss begins to surge back, Liana accepts her fate—she has become the very thing the Guardians feared. The chapter ends with Liana walking away, leaving the Guardians behind, the consequences of her choice yet to unfold.