The void pulsed, waiting for his decision. Every path Reinhardt had ever walked, every battle fought, had led to this moment.
Selene stood at his side, her magic humming against his skin. The entity loomed before them, its presence pressing down like an unseen weight.
"Choose, Reinhardt," it murmured, voice laced with ancient power. "Take your place at my side, embrace the destiny carved into your bones. Or reject me—and suffer the fate of all who resist the inevitable."
Reinhardt exhaled, slow and measured. His body trembled—not with fear, but with the crushing weight of possibility. He turned, meeting Selene's gaze. In her eyes, he saw the storm of emotions she tried to hide—determination, defiance, and something deeper… something fragile.
For so long, he had fought for others, sworn loyalty to causes he barely understood. But now…
Now, the choice was his.
He turned back to the entity, his grip tightening on his sword. "I don't belong to you." His voice was steady, final.
A pause. Then, the void shuddered.
The entity's form twisted, its many voices colliding into a discordant snarl. "Foolish." The shadows surged forward, tendrils of darkness lashing out like serpents.
Selene reacted instantly, her magic flaring. She raised a hand, and a wall of obsidian flames erupted between them and the entity, deflecting the attack. "We need to move!" she called.
Reinhardt didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, slashing through the encroaching shadows. The entity recoiled, but it did not retreat. If anything, it only grew more enraged.
"You cannot defy what is written," it seethed, the void trembling.
Reinhardt clenched his jaw. "Then I'll carve my own fate."
With a surge of strength, he plunged his blade into the shifting darkness. A deafening screech split the air, the void convulsing violently. The entity's form fractured—for the first time, its control wavered.
Selene seized the opening. She reached out, her magic surging, wrapping around Reinhardt's free hand. "Hold on," she whispered.
And then—
A blinding light engulfed them.
The world lurched.
The darkness shattered.
And Reinhardt felt himself falling, spiraling through time and space, toward an unknown future of his own making.